Travelling Salesman
by Snavej
Summary: Mai is the manager of a coffee shop at Heathrow Airport in London. Oliver is a jet setting supermodel who often flies out of Heathrow Airport. Do I need to say more? [The Coffee Shop / Model AU that no one asked for!]
1. Chapter 1

"They'll be shut," Lin said as they strode into Heathrow airport.

"It is five minutes to midnight," Oliver muttered, readjusting his sunglasses. "They should be open for another five minutes."

Lin did not bother to argue.

"I'll sort out the luggage."

Oliver nodded and strode off to one side, away from the luggage drop and towards the cluster of cafes. Most were already shut, but Oliver spotted one young woman wiping tables in the closest cafe.

He strode up to the counter and waited.

The young woman hurried around the counter and hitched on her brightest 'customer service' smile.

"I'm afraid I've already set the cleaning cycles off for the coffee machines, so I can only do tea or maybe a hot chocolate—"

"I'll take an earl grey."

"Stay in or take away?"

"I would have thought you'd insist I take it away," Oliver muttered.

"I'm going to be here for another twenty minutes clearing up," she said, "so as long as you're done in that time, I don't mind."

"Then I'll stay in."

She turned and grabbed a mug and a teabag. Oliver watched her work with a bored expression and drew his debit card from his pocket.

"That'll be two pounds twenty, please," she said, bringing the total up on the cash machine.

Oliver tapped his card on the card reader, watched the lights flash and then pocketed the card. He picked up the mug and took the closest seat. He wanted to take his sunglasses off, but feared a reaction from the barista.

Oh, the woes of fame.

"Sorry, could I move you over a table?" she asked.

Oliver moved without a word, sighed and then took off his sunglasses. He rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the light.

"Thanks," the barista said.

Oliver was sure she made eye contact with him, but there was no flash of recognition. He watched her wipe the rest of the tables. She then wiped up behind the counter and began doing end of day checks. Once happy with the state of the cafe, she pulled the till out to count up.

She took it to the table next to Oliver and began bagging up the coins.

"Shouldn't you do that in an office?" Oliver asked.

"If I had one, I would," the barista replied. "But I doubt you would do anything, this airport has so many cameras, you'd never get away with it. Especially now you've taken off your sunglasses."

Oliver read her name badge: Mai, Manager.

"Well, Mai, what if I stole your money and then jumped on a plane and never returned?" he asked.

Mai frowned for a moment, confused. Then realisation dawned on her face.

"Right, yes, name badge. Well, you could do that, as long as you did it all on camera, I couldn't get in too much trouble, I suppose…"

"Everything I do is on camera," Oliver muttered.

He sipped at his tea and ignored the confused frown from Mai. She really _didn't_ know who he was.

It was refreshing.

The tea, that is. Not the baris—

Never mind.

"Are you going anywhere nice?" she asked, still focused on her work.

"Thailand."

"Work or pleasure?"

"Work."

"What do you do?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes, then decided to lie.

"I'm a travelling salesman."

Well, not strictly a lie. Perhaps a massive twist on the truth.

"Do you enjoy it?"

"I guess. I haven't thought of anything I would enjoy more," Oliver said. "Not yet anyway."

"I'm glad. I've seen so many people come through my cafe who are obviously stressed and hating life," Mai said as she closed her book and collected the money bags together.

Oliver watched as she carried them behind the counter and locked everything away.

"Would you like me to leave now?" he asked.

"No, it's okay," Mai said. "I don't mind waiting as long as you don't mind keeping me company."

Oliver considered this for a moment.

"Take a seat."

Mai beamed, grabbed her jacket and keys, and then joined Oliver at the table.

"So where is the best place you've travelled for work?" she asked.

"Do you always ask your patrons questions?"

"Only the interesting ones," Mai replied.

Oliver ignored the flattery, he was too used to it. But he humoured the barista.

"Japan, I think. My brother, whom I work with upon occasion, really wanted to go. Our mother was Japanese and he was always fascinated by the idea of visiting. So when our work allowed us to mix business and pleasure…" He sipped at his tea again. "What about you?"

Mai laughed.

"Oh, I don't travel for work. The most I get is called to a different terminal to help out when someone calls in sick."

"You work at Heathrow and you don't travel?"

Mai laughed again.

"I may be the manager of this cafe, but I do not earn enough to fly frequently. I visited Paris last year, that was nice."

"It's a beautiful city."

"You've been?"

"Yes, it's… It's one of the places I go most often. London, Tokyo, Paris, New York, Milan…"

"Wow, you're lucky."

"Yes, I suppose I am."

Mai glanced up at the departures board.

"How early are you?" she asked. "I can't see a flight to Thailand on the—"

"Private plane."

Mai's eyebrows rose drastically.

"You needn't look so alarmed."

"Sorry, I just… Well usually the private plane fliers are…"

"Less than pleasant?" Oliver suggested.

"Yeah, let's go with that," Mai said. "You must know the type. The 'I want my coffee extra hot with three shots and gold dust' type…"

"Do you provide gold dust?" Oliver asked. "Perhaps I should have asked for some."

Mai rolled her eyes.

"I'll ask for that next time, I suppose you've closed up now."

Mai sighed dramatically.

"I look forward to it," she said.

Oliver downed the rest of his cup. Mai snatched it up and hid it on the other side of the counter.

"There, I'll deal with that in the morning."

"Thank you for staying open for me," Oliver said. "I've had a long day."

"At least you can sleep on the plane."

"I will certainly try…"

Before Mai could respond, Lin strode over.

"Oliver, we need to—"

He cut himself off when he spotted Mai. She forced a smile.

"I'm coming," Oliver said, before turning back to Mai. "Well, thank you for your company."

He sent her a small smile and strode off. Mai watched him go and then locked up the cafe.

"A fan?" Lin asked as they walked away.

"No, she had no idea who I was," Oliver said. "I would not have the patience for a fan at this time of night."

"No, I suppose not. So why were you talking to her?"

"I was keeping her past closing time, it seemed the least I could do."

Lin raised an eyebrow at him, but did not question any further.

"I doubt I will see her again," Oliver went on. "I should have tipped…"

"Yes, well you can next time. If you do see her again, that is…"

They passed through security and headed to the private jet gate.

* * *

"Earl grey to go with some gold dust."

Mai looked up and laughed. The travelling salesman — what had his name been again? Oliver? — stood in front of her with his sunglasses on again.

At least it was light this time.

"I'm sorry, sir, we're all out of gold dust."

"Then I'll have my tea without it," he said. "But I'll be docking your tip."

"If it's bigger than last time, sir, then I can't complain."

He smiled to himself, and waited for his tea to be served.

"That'll be two pounds twenty," Mai said as she placed the takeaway cup on the counter.

Oliver handed over a fifty pound note.

"Keep the change."

He strode off before Mai could argue. She checked the note for fraud, then calculated the change as his words filtered through her brain. She clutched at the forty seven pounds and eighty pence in her hand and looked at the queue.

"Sarah, I'll be back in a minute."

She darted after Oliver, clutching the change.

"Sir! Wait, your change!"

Mai caught up to him as he joined the queue for security.

"Sir—"

"Ma'am, stand back."

The tall man he'd been with before stepped in between her and Oliver.

"Lin, it's fine," Oliver said, turning. "Mai, keep it."

"I can't, this is—"

"Your tip, share it with your co-workers if you feel that uncomfortable with it," Oliver stated.

"That's basically a day's pay," Mai objected.

Oliver frowned.

"Then I ought to have given you more," he said, reaching for his wallet.

"What? No, don't do that, just take this back, please. It's really not—" She took a deep breath. "Tips are supposed to be just spare change and if my boss sees this much she'll think we've been stealing or something."

"That is my spare change," Oliver stated. "Look, I have a flight to catch. Take the money or I'll complain to your boss."

Oliver turned and walked away, with Lin in tow.

Mai returned to the cafe and deposited the cash into the tip jar.

"He really didn't want that?" Sarah asked.

"No," Mai replied. "I thought he'd made a mistake, thinking he'd given me a fiver or something… But he was insistent."

"What a nice guy."

"That tip is an entire shift's worth of pay," Mai muttered. "Some people just have no idea…"

"So we get a day and a half's pay today, don't complain."

Mai sighed, and moved on to the next customer.

At the end of the shift, Mai split the money up between the staff and shut up the cafe like normal. She headed to her car via the staff shuttle bus and drove home.

Her cat, Luna, greeted her enthusiastically upon entry.

"Oh, are you hungry? Hmm?"

Mai smiled down at her cat, dumped her coat and went in search of some cat food. She tipped it into the bowl and Luna pounced on it.

"I'm going to bed now, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

Luna ignored Mai as she walked to the bathroom. Mai stripped off her uniform and threw it into the washing basket. She grabbed her toothbrush and began to brush her teeth as she checked her phone. She had several messages from her friends.

**From Keiko: Hey! Michiru and I wanna go shopping tomorrow, you in?**

**From Michiru: Shopping tomorrow? We're going for ramen for lunch!**

**From Yasuhara: I met the hottest guy ever earlier, seriously, I think he must have been a model. Unfortunately, it's all business, but he'll be a pleasure to work with…**

Mai smiled and began tapping out replies.

**To Keiko: Sorry, got work! How about Thursday?**

**To Michiru: Sorry got work! How about Thursday?**

**To Yasuhara: May start as business, but after?**

Mai spat into the sink and rinsed her mouth out.

Luna appeared at her feet.

"You finished your food already hmm?"

Luna meowed.

"I know I haven't eaten but I'm not hungry enough to bother cooking," Mai muttered.

Luna meowed again.

"And I have done my teeth now so shush."

Luna turned tail. Mai sighed and headed to bed. She plugged in her phone and was about to turn her light off when her phone rang.

It was Yasuhara.

She groaned but answered it on speakerphone.

"What's up?"

"Did I mention this guy is gorgeous? I almost fainted when my boss gave him to me as a client…"

Mai laughed.

"Did your boss wrap him up for you?"

"Oh, I wish she had… I'm so glad I finished that case up last week. The gods have blessed me for working so hard," Yasuhara said. "If it goes well I am so giving him my number…"

"And if it doesn't go well?" Mai asked.

"Then I shall come to yours and mope for eternity…" Yasuhara sighed. "How was your day?"

"Fine, some businessman overtipped."

"Isn't that good?"

"Last time someone did that, my boss accused us of stealing… I don't think they realise that airports have some filthy rich people that just don't give a fuck about throwing away the change from a fifty…"

"Change from a fifty?"

"Hmm."

"Damn… One day, eh? That's the dream. Though I barely ever have cash if I'm honest…"

"Yeah, so many people pay with cards, we barely get tips, but head office refused to put a gratuity option on the payment."

"That's so lame," Yasuhara muttered.

"Yeah, oh well."

"Few more tips like that couldn't hurt though, could it?"

"Definitely not," Mai agreed. "My car insurance is due next month…"

"You know if you're short for it, I can—"

"No, I'll manage."

"Mai—"

"Yasuhara, I am a grown woman with a full-time job, I can manage to pay for my own car insurance."

"Yes, you're also chronically underpaid."

"Yes, true, but—"

"Maybe you should flirt with these businessmen more often."

Mai scowled.

"I did not _flirt_ with him!"

Mai heard a gasp from Yasuhara's end of the phone.

"You did flirt with him, didn't you? Oh my, Mai, how scandalous! Is he hot?"

"He's… I guess he's attractive? You probably would have drooled all over him."

"You should flirt with him again," Yasuhara advised. "He could sweep you off your feet, help you get your book pub—"

"I don't want to be swept off my feet," Mai interrupted. "I want my book to get published because of my hard work, not because someone else has made it happen!"

"Mai! Your work is too good to—"

"And I will make it on my own! I will not be a Cinderella, I will be a Tiana."

"Tiana still got help from that Prince though, even if it was just an extra pair of hands. And you can't pretend like having a Prince at a cafe wasn't going to improve business," Yasuhara muttered.

"Okay but you get my point! I don't want things handed to me!"

"Yeah, but other people will accept those things and that's how people get places, Mai. Accepting help doesn't make you any lesser…"

"Look, I am too tired for this, it is past one AM and—"

"I know, I just want to see you succeed."

"I will. Just watch me."

* * *

**Author's note: Welcome to the coffee shop/model AU that no one asked for! Please review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Noll, where are you going…?" Gene asked in a tired voice. "The car is this way?"

"I want to get a drink before we go."

Gene frowned.

"There's a cafe over here though?"

"I want a drink from a specific cafe."

"You're such a pain." Gene changed course to follow his brother.

"No, it's fine, I'll meet you by the car."

"It's okay, I'll come—"

"I'll meet you by the car."

Lin strode up behind them.

"He wants to see his girlfriend," he said in a low voice.

Gene rounded on Lin, suddenly animated.

"He has a girlfriend?"

Oliver stopped in his tracks.

"I do not have a girlfriend. I want a cup of tea—"

"That only this one barista can give him. It's quite—"

"Shut up."

Oliver walked away, away from the airport exit signs and towards departures, where he knew he would find the cafe.

He smiled a little when he spotted who was behind the counter. Mai was serving a short couple. He joined the line. Her co-worker dealt with at least three other people while she continued with this one couple.

"_...And the museums are all free, so don't let anyone trick you into buying tickets for them,_" she was saying as she made a drink. "_Do you know where you're going now?_"

"_Yes, we're getting the train, the young man at the ticket desk helped us,_" the woman replied. "_But he sent us here just because he knew you spoke our language._"

"_John? Yes, he's such a sweetie. Well, your total is four pounds and ten pence._"

It took Oliver a moment to realise that they weren't speaking English. They were speaking Japanese.

He watched the couple walk away, and stepped forward. He had allowed others past so that he would be served once Mai had finished.

"Oh, it's you again!" She beamed.

"So did you get in trouble?" he asked.

"No, I put a note in the jar to explain the large increase. Sarah backed me up."

"Oh good."

"Are you going to do it again?"

He smirked.

"I might."

Mai rolled her eyes.

"What can I get for you, sir?"

"Earl Grey."

"With gold dust, sir?" she asked, as she turned to grab a tea bag.

"Well the more I spend, the less of a tip I leave so I'll hold the gold dust for today."

Mai scowled at him and finished making his drink.

"Will there be anything else for you today, sir?"

"_I didn't realise you spoke Japanese._"

Mai looked startled.

"_Yes, my parents were immigrants. I spoke it at home. I guess you learnt from your mother?_"

"_You remembered._"

"_You're an interesting man, I tend to remember the interesting customers._" Mai noticed Sarah was giving her a funny look. "Will that be all for you today, sir?"

"For today."

"Two pounds twenty please."

Oliver pulled out another fifty pound note.

"Do you have anything smaller?"

He sighed, and pulled out a ten.

"Keep the change," he insisted.

"Thank you, sir."

Mai calculated the change and slipped the coins into the tip jar. She frowned as she did this. There was an entire fifty pound note already in the jar.

She glared after Oliver, and as if he knew she was doing it, he smirked over his shoulder and raised his takeaway cup in thanks.

"Mai, customers," Sarah muttered.

"Yup!" Mai turned to the next person in the queue and began to serve them.

"How much did he leave this time?" Sarah asked as they made drinks.

"Ten more than last time."

"Damn, what did you do to him?"

"I wish I knew."

* * *

"I think you should ask her out."

"What?"

"I think," Gene repeated, "that you should ask her out."

"Don't be ridiculous." Oliver looked out of the car window. "Jeffery would never allow it."

"We're adults, Noll."

"Yes, and as our manager, he can make our lives difficult," Oliver muttered. "Besides, if the press got a hold of her… It's not worth it."

Gene frowned.

"But… I mean, Jeffery might not be our manager forever…"

"It's written into his contract—"

"I found a discrete lawyer willing to take a look," Gene said in a low voice. "I know he likes to say that he's the reason we're successful, but we both know it's a lie."

"Could this lawyer help with a restraining order?"

"What do you—"

"He's still our father, Gene, he won't just leave us alone. Especially if he starts gambling again…"

"I can ask?" Gene said in a lighter voice. "But seriously, I think you should ask her out."

Oliver sighed heavily but decided to humour his brother.

"Okay, let's say I ask her out, then what? We're in and out of London all the time."

"She works at an airport, Noll, I think she's used to people coming and going," Gene pointed out. "But even if you only saw each other once a week or whatever, you could have some fun. It'd do you good."

"And what, I just sneak out to see her?" Oliver asked.

"I mean, we could fly back from somewhere and then get stuck or tired or something so that we simply must stay somewhere locally. And that local place could just happen to be her place…"

"And where will you go?"

"I'll find somewhere to go. Lin would definitely agree to this, wouldn't you, Lin?"

"I'm sure we could come to an arrangement," Lin said from the driver's seat.

"See," Gene jostled his brother. "Just think about it, okay?"

Oliver hummed.

* * *

"Come on Mai, treat yourself! You said that guy gave you a massive tip!" Keiko urged.

Michiru took a long sip of her coffee.

"I don't see why new underwear is a treat, you need that stuff," she muttered.

"I need basics, I don't need this lacy stuff," Mai said.

"But it's pretty," Keiko said. "And then you'll feel pretty!"

"You saying I can't feel pretty dressed like this?" Mai teased, gesturing to her jeans and t-shirt.

"Oh Mai, come on!"

Mai picked up the plain black and white two pack of bras and danced off to the changing rooms.

"That girl is such a pain in the—"

"She just doesn't want to spend her money on pointless stuff, Kei, leave her alone," Michiru said. "Besides, she doesn't have anyone to show pretty underwear to…"

"I did find someone to set her up with actually, it's a guy from work, I reckon they'd make a pretty cute couple," Keiko said. "But with Mai's working hours…"

"Did she ask you to set her up?"

"No, but I just want what is best for her."

Michiru sighed heavily. They waited for Mai to return from the changing room.

"They fit perfectly," Mai said happily. "Do you two want anything or shall I go and pay?"

"I want you to buy pretty ones! Heck," Keiko exclaimed. "I'll buy you a pretty one!"

Mai rolled her eyes.

"There is no point, Kei, it's a waste of a good bra. I would rather someone else got some use out of it."

"Fine, okay, hear me out. Let me set you up with this guy from work, and if it goes well, you let me buy you the pretty lingerie!"

Mai groaned and rolled her eyes.

"What guy from work?"

"His name is Darren, he works in IT, he's really shy and—"

"Do you have a picture of him?" Mai asked as they walked towards the tills.

"Yes! Wait, let me find it."

Mai began to queue as Keiko searched her phone for the picture.

"Here," she said, holding her phone out. "He's the one on the right?"

"Oh Keiko, you know blonds aren't my type," Mai muttered. "If they were I would have asked John out ages ago."

"Seriously, you're going to say no because of that?"

"I don't know, he's just… Not my type."

But Michiru was becoming suspicious now.

"You've never dismissed one of Keiko's suggestions so quickly before."

"So?"

"So why the reluctance to meet Darren? Normally you at least try one date," Michiru pointed out. "Unless… Unless you have someone you like the look of already in your sights?"

Keiko snatched her phone back and demanded, "Who?"

Mai's eyes widened in alarm, but before she could say anything, she was called to the checkout. As she paid, she desperately tried to think up an excuse or reason, but came up with nothing.

"Well, who is it?" Keiko asked as Mai rejoined them.

"There is—"

"Don't lie to us, Mai," Michiru insisted as they left the shop. "We'll know."

Mai groaned.

"Fine, one of my customers has been really nice and he's cute and interesting… I mean nothing can happen, I know that, but the idea of dating someone else just doesn't appeal right now, okay?"

Her friends appeared sympathetic.

"Aww, why can't anything happen?" Keiko asked. "Lunch?"

"Sure," Mai replied. "And because he's this high flying, hotshot, travelling salesman who can tip fifty quid at a time and I'm the manager of an airport cafe who writes novels in her spare time."

"So? And ramen?"

"Yeah, I thought that was the plan. And because he's flying all the time and I'm working all the time. I have no idea how we would make it work."

"Love finds a way," Michiru said. "But we'll drop it for now. Let's get some food."

* * *

**Author's note: So this is a bit short, but the next section would make it WAYYYY too long. So this is what you're getting! Also... AU no one asked for, but you all seem to want it? Who knew?!**


	3. Chapter 3

"You've got to be kidding me."

It was midnight, Mai had just shut the cafe down when he appeared.

"I'm sorry, you're too late," she said as the shutters descended.

"I don't want tea," Oliver replied, as he removed his sunglasses and pocketed them.

"Then why are you here? Surely you know by now how to get through this airport?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're a lot less cheerful off the clock, hmm?"

Mai deflated.

"Sorry, long day with at least three tantrum customers and two babies being sick all over everything. And of course, I have to say it's fine to the mothers, even if it's disgusting."

"They did not clear it up?"

"Oh no, of course not," Mai muttered darkly. She locked the shutter down and pocketed the keys. "So what do you want?"

"To see you."

Mai's cheeks flushed scarlet.

"Me?"

"My brother has been telling me I ought to try and make more friends," Oliver stated.

"Friends?"

Mai tried not to look too disappointed.

"I think friends is a good place to start, don't you?"

Mai nodded earnestly, forcing a smile.

"Yes. But why me?"

Oliver looked away.

"Well, you don't know who I am."

Mai frowned.

"I don't understand?"

"Work takes up the majority of my life, and everyone in my sector knows exactly who I am. But you don't. It means I can be myself, rather than my job," Oliver answered in a measured tone.

"So you decided to find me at midnight?"

"Well, my flight just got in. I don't have to be anywhere until at least nine AM tomorrow…"

"Okay then," Mai pulled on her jacket. "What do you suggest then? Because most places are kind of shut now…"

His eyes widened a little.

"I honestly didn't expect to get this far," he muttered. "You're not creeped out?"

Mai laughed.

"Honestly? No?" she replied. "And if you do murder me, there are enough cameras here to show who I was last with. I'm sure my friends will avenge me."

Oliver smiled.

"Well that's just scuppered my murder plans," he said.

Mai rolled her eyes.

"Okay well I'm starving," she said. "The only place that'll be open is McDonald's I imagine, that okay with you?"

Oliver's smile dropped as he considered this.

"I don't have any transport," he said.

"Lucky for you, I do," Mai said. "They'll probably have shut down the restaurant bit, but the drive-thru will be open."

"Okay."

"Come on then."

Mai led Oliver to her car, via the staff shuttle.

"Apologies for the mess," she said. "My vacuum cleaner broke and I haven't gotten around to getting a new one. It's been on my to-do list for a while..."

Oliver climbed into the passenger seat. His head touched the ceiling of the car.

"Oh, um, you can probably adjust the seat somehow. All my friends are short," Mai said. "Well, Yasuhara isn't, but he doesn't like being a passenger so…"

Oliver adjusted the seat so that he was leant back a little more. Once his head wasn't touching the ceiling, he belted up and Mai drove away.

"Where do I need to drop you off after?"

"My brother and I have rooms at the Sophisticelle."

Mai's mouth fell open, but she quickly shut it again.

"I don't know why I'm surprised, you can obviously afford the luxury hotels. Though I'm not sure they'll let me drop you off in this old banger," she said.

"They wouldn't say anything," Oliver said quietly. "But I can have my assistant pick me up if it is an issue."

"That tall guy?"

"Yes."

"I got the impression he was more of a bodyguard than anything else…"

"I guess he is in a way. I certainly wouldn't want to pick a fight with him."

Mai drove into the drive-thru and winded her window down.

"Hi, what can I get you?" the voice came through the speaker grill.

"Hi, can I get a double cheeseburger and chips with a chocolate milkshake please?"

"Anything else?"

Mai looked to Oliver, who shook his head.

"No, that'll be all."

"Great, drive around to the next window."

Mai did as instructed, paid, and then drove to the collection window. Oliver remained strangely quiet as she did this. And only as she parked up to eat did she realised he'd been staring out of the other window.

"I would have bought you something if—"

"No, I ate on the plane," Oliver said quickly. "I'm not hungry."

"Well feel free to steal a chip if you want."

"Thanks."

Mai opened up her cheeseburger, removed the gherkin, and then bit into it.

"I know I shouldn't eat these, but damn do they taste good after a long day," she mumbled. "So, you want to be my friend because I don't know about your work, so tell me about your hobbies."

Oliver, apparently grateful for her opening the conversation, jumped on the topic.

"I like reading," he said. "Primarily non-fiction at the moment. I'm also…" He paused for a moment. "I'm also doing a part-time distance learning Master's degree in Mathematics."

"Oh wow, that's cool! What made you decide to do that?"

"I enjoy Maths, I've also done a few Science modules as part of it. It's interesting. It makes a change from the mind-numbing nature of my work."

Mai laughed.

"Yeah, I feel you on that one."

"What about you?"

"I… Well, when I'm not at work, I'm either with my friends or writing. I write stories."

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"What sort of stories?"

"Well, it started off as fanfiction but I've started to write some original stuff," Mai admitted. "I currently have like four or five people that read my stuff so it's not a big deal."

"Are they any good?"

"My friends think so, but they're also my friends so… They might just be being nice to me."

"That's one of the reasons I like Maths," Oliver said. "The answer is either right or wrong. It's harder to quantify the enjoyment of fiction. Can I read any of your work?"

"Maybe once we know each other a little better, I'll consider."

She finished off the cheeseburger and started on the chips.

"I suppose a cafe is a good place to people watch," Oliver said.

"The best place, especially at an airport," Mai said. "So many people from all over the world."

"So you make your clients into characters?"

"Well not directly," Mai said. "But, I take inspiration."

"Am I in any of these stories?"

"You wish." Mai laughed and drank a little of her milkshake. "You might end up in one eventually. What would you like to be?"

"What genre do you write in?"

"Varies, at the moment, I've been on a bit of a regency kick."

"Like Pride and Prejudice?"

"Yeah, my friends bought me this new one that came out a few months ago and I just fell back in love with the genre. Disgrace and Deception, that's what it was called. There were rumours of it being made into a film."

Oliver coughed.

"Is it worth reading?" he asked.

"Oh definitely, I mean, if you like that sort of stuff."

"Maybe I'll take a look at it then," Oliver said. "What do your friends do?"

Mai smiled.

"Keiko works in advertising, like the internet pay per click stuff. Michiru is a dance teacher, she was a ballerina for a while but she got injured, so she teaches now."

"And you see them often?"

"I try to, it was so easy to see them at university, it's a lot harder now. What about you?"

"I don't see anyone from university, in truth, I did that distance learning too."

"Really? How come? So you could work alongside it?"

"Something like that. My father got my brother and me into the business, he was not that bothered about education as we were both capable."

"Is it a family business?"

"No, not strictly, we just happen to work together. It makes sense in the case of me and my brother."

"How so?"

"We're an excellent team."

"You're close in age?" Mai asked.

"We're twins."

"Oh, right, that's cool." Mai picked at the chips. "I… I don't have any siblings. I don't have any family really. My parents both died so…"

"I'm sorry."

Mai shrugged.

"It was my Mum that encouraged me to write," she went on. "When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to tell ghost stories and stuff at sleepovers. And then I'd tell my Mum all about them the next day. She told me that I had such a good imagination that I should write them down." She laughed bitterly. "I thought she was so daft for suggesting that. Who was I to write a real story, hmm? And then she got cancer and she died. And I was so angry and depressed and… Well, I was a mess. I used to read a lot and I didn't like how this one story ended, someone in it died. So I rewrote the book and posted it online. And people liked it. So I wrote more… I could fix all the problems of the people in the stories… And then one day it stopped being therapy and started being fun." Mai ate another chip. "Sorry, that was a bit much. I barely know you."

"Sometimes it is easier to talk to relative strangers."

"Especially in the dead of night in a McDonald's car park," Mai said with a laugh.

"I can even it up for you, if you want?"

"Go on then."

"My mother drank herself to death," Oliver stated. "My brother and I came home from school one day and found her leant over the dining room table, not breathing."

"Damn."

"When our father came home, he took one look at her and just left. He didn't return for a week. He only did that because some of his drinking buddies reminded him he had two eight-year-old boys."

"Woah…"

"He was not a very attentive father. Then when we were fifteen or so, he got a letter from a lawyer. His brother had died without any children or a spouse. We travelled to New York, my father received the inheritance and… That's when he got his current job. We sold the house in Salem."

"You don't have much of an accent for an American."

Oliver chuckled.

"I'm not one anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"We moved to London for work, and my brother and I chose to become UK citizens. Once we'd done that, we renounced our US citizenship."

"Why?"

"Tax. US citizens pay tax on their worldwide income. So despite only visiting the US for work for a few weekends a year, we were having to pay tax as if we lived there."

Mai frowned.

"So you're avoiding tax? Isn't that a bit…"

"I am not avoiding tax. I pay my fair share here. But here, I see the results of it. I see people getting free healthcare and benefits and paved roads. In the US, the people I knew didn't see anything of taxpayers money. Our neighbour when I was a kid died and… Well I don't think that would have happened here."

"You talk about the UK as if it's some sort of paradise," Mai muttered. "It's still plenty shitty for a lot of people."

"I know that," Oliver said. "The entire country is run by idiots and a lot of people are still starving or dying without medical treatments, but at least people are trying." He sighed. "In America… My father is an example of it really. There are people who don't want conditions to improve for the poor because that would mean making things worse for the rich and they genuinely believe that one day, they could be rich. So they want it to be good for them when they are."

"That's ridiculous."

"Yes, I guess it worked out for my father, but it doesn't for everyone. He'd accuse me of being a communist if I said it out loud, but surely it's better if everyone is healthy and not quite as rich…"

"That's easy for you to say," Mai said. "You are rich. You can tip fifty quid and not worry. I bet you don't have to worry about whether or not you can pay your car insurance next month."

"No, I don't. And in truth, I don't remember what it was like well enough when we were poor. I remember being hungry. But I don't remember the stress of not having money. But that's why I tip fifty quid. Because I know that can make a difference."

"So you're trying to put trickle-down economics into play?" Mai asked.

"I guess so. I hadn't thought of it like that."

"It doesn't work though," Mai pointed out. "If you feed a horse enough oats, in theory, it will poo some straight out for the birds. But in reality, you just get a really fat horse."

"Sparrow. I think the original theory used sparrows as the bird."

Mai looked surprised, and Oliver explained.

"I took an economics module."

"Right."

"So what do you suggest? Tax the rich more?"

"Pretty much."

"So what stops them moving to a country that isn't going to tax them so highly?"

Mai sucked on her straw, draining the last dregs of her milkshake.

"I take over the world and in my new world, every country taxes people the same amount. And then we have the benefits of bulk ordering stuff and—"

"You want to be a dictator?" Oliver could not keep the amusement from his voice.

"Why do you find that funny? I think I'd do a great job."

"I'm sure that's what they all think."

Mai sighed and gave up.

"I don't know what the real answer is," she said finally. "There's a reason I work in a cafe and not in politics."

"You're too nice for politics."

"Thanks, I think?"

Oliver glanced down at the car's clock.

"It's late," he muttered. "Gene'll be happy."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been out long enough that he'll accept I've actually been sociable."

"You think he would not believe you otherwise?" Mai asked.

"Perhaps not. I might have pretended previously to go out with 'friends' and then actually go to the library and read…"

Mai laughed.

"We could take a picture if you want, to prove it," she suggested.

"You'd be okay with that?"

"Sure, I don't see why not," Mai said.

Oliver pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the camera app. Mai flicked on the interior light of her car and moved over so that they would both be in the shot.

Oliver took the photo, then opened up the image.

"Wow, you're really photogenic," Mai muttered. "That's totally unfair. I had a friend at school called Rhona, and no matter how hard we tried, we never managed to take a bad photo of her."

Oliver pocketed his phone. Mai yawned and turned the interior light off.

"We should get back," he said. "I can have my assistant pick me up if you—"

"Nah, it's fine. If he's got any sense, he'll be asleep right now."

"He won't be, but I'm sure he'll appreciate not having to collect me."

"I'm just gonna go and chuck my rubbish in the bin."

Mai jumped out of the car, threw her rubbish away and raced back.

"It is freezing out there."

She started the engine and drove away. As they neared the hotel, Oliver began giving directions as to the best way to get there.

"Are you sure?" Mai asked. "This looks like—"

"The back entrance, usually for goods."

"So you are embarrassed to be seen in my car," Mai teased.

"Believe it or not, I have been the target of blackmail before. Being seen with a young, attractive unwed woman in the dead of night might not do me any favours."

"Surely that's better than a married woman, that would be more scandalous."

Oliver smirked.

"Perhaps so. Either way, this is safer. I know the staff here, they will be discrete. Follow the road around and you'll be back on the main road again." He paused, then pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "This is my private number, let me know you got home safe."

Mai took the paper and smiled.

"Goodnight, Oliver."

"Goodnight, Mai."

Oliver climbed out, waved Mai off, and entered through the back door.

"You're out late," a voice commented. "Usually, it's your brother."

"First time for everything, Miss Matsuzaki. I would have thought you'd have gone to bed by now."

"Your brother told me you'd be out late tonight. It's my duty to ensure my customers are happy. I stayed up in case you needed management."

Oliver nodded.

"I see."

"You can use the staff lift if you want."

"They're still here?"

"The paps never sleep."

"I will take the staff lift then."

Once safely ensconced in the penthouse apartment suite, Oliver pulled out his phone and checked it. No messages yet.

"Have fun?"

Oliver looked up to see his twin standing in the doorway to his bedroom, dressed in nothing but his boxers.

"Yes, I suppose so," Oliver replied.

"Did you actually go and see her? Or did you just pretend to?"

Oliver rolled his eyes and showed Gene the picture he had taken with Mai.

"She wanted something to eat, and drove us to McDonald's."

"Classy."

"I didn't eat. But we chatted in her car for a bit."

"You sound like lovesick teenagers."

"Don't be ridiculous. She's just a friend."

Gene smiled.

"I'm glad, Noll."

"I'm going to bed," Oliver said. "Monk is expecting us at nine, right?"

Gene nodded.

"Don't stay up too late."

"I'm going to bed," Oliver repeated. "I—"

"You're waiting for her to message you, aren't you?" Gene asked with a knowing smile. "It's okay. I'm happy for you."

Oliver scowled. Gene laughed and retreated into his bedroom. Oliver entered his own bedroom and stripped down to his boxers. He sauntered into the ensuite and began brushing his teeth.

As he climbed into bed, his personal phone vibrated.

**From Unknown: Home safe! It was fun chatting :) Mai :)**

He saved the number.

**To Mai: I'm glad, see you soon.**

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry this is a few days late! I'm in Vienna playing with two beagle puppies and they distracted me... I've also been planning my first DND campaign (as a DM hopefully!) so we'll see how that goes... Please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Frank, honey," Margaret called over her shoulder.

She thumbed through a few more pages of the magazine before returning to the one she had started on.

"What is it?" Frank asked as he appeared in the doorway. "I was just about to start dinner."

"I've chosen one," she said, and showed him the magazine. "He's perfect."

Frank took the magazine from his wife and studied the image.

"Appearance-wise, definitely, but does he have brains?"

"Read the article," she replied. "A journalist has found out he's doing a Master's degree alongside his work."

"And his health? Any genetic issues?"

"I wouldn't think so, but we should check."

"It's a good thing I've almost finished the basement, hmm?" Frank mumbled, handing the magazine back. "We'll have to start looking on fansites, hmm?"

"My friend Janine told me that he and his brother have a suite at the hotel she works at," Margaret said.

"His brother? He's the one with a twin?"

"Yes, but his brother is a queer. So it'll never work."

"A shame," Frank said. "Right, well I am going to start on dinner."

"Thank you, honey."

* * *

"Mai, he is so cute, you have no idea," Yasuhara gushed, leaning back into the sofa and sighing dramatically. "Like, I had some paperwork for him to sign, confidentiality stuff, and he sat there reading it through. It was so cute."

Mai frowned and deposited two cups of tea on the coffee table in her lounge. Luna jumped up onto the sofa and sidled into Yasuhara's lap.

"How is reading paperwork cute?" Mai asked. "Sounds sensible to me."

"Very sensible, always read the paperwork," Yasuhara agreed. "But he had this serious concentrating face with a bit of a pout and seriously."

He sighed again. Mai laughed.

"You're ridiculous."

"Why are the cute ones only after me for my services as a lawyer?" Yasuhara asked.

"Have you actually asked him out?"

"No, I can't while he's still a customer."

"Then you don't know that what you said is true," Mai pointed out.

"But it'd be weird, wouldn't it? Like, I now know a lot of stuff about this guy, we wouldn't be on an equal footing."

Mai frowned.

"I guess so," she said. "But at least you can skip that awkward bit, right?"

Before Yasuhara could respond, Mai's phone buzzed. Yasuhara snatched it from the table and read the preview.

"Who is Oliver Gold-Dust and why does he want to know if you like Belgian chocolate?"

"Give that back," Mai muttered, reaching for it.

Yasuhara held it out of her reach.

"Nuh-uh! Not until you tell me who he is!"

Mai rolled her eyes.

"Fine! He's a guy who came to my coffee shop and his name is Oliver and we've been texting a bit, that's all."

"And his surname is Gold-Dust?" Yasuhara asked, eyebrow raised.

"No, I don't know his surname and my phone wanted one and we have this joke where he asked for gold dust in his tea and I had nothing better to put, okay?"

"Why would he want gold dust in his tea?"

"Why do people want gold in their alcohol? I have no idea, but people still buy Goldschläger, don't they?" Mai pointed out.

"So he doesn't actually want it?"

"No, I don't think so. It's not like I could serve it even if I wanted," Mai said. "But he turned up at the end of one of my shifts and we went to McDonald's and discussed economics so…"

"He's a businessman?"

"Travelling salesman, so I'm guessing he's in Belgium. So if you give me my phone back, I might share some of the chocolate with you."

Yasuhara handed the phone over. Mai unlocked it and replied to the text.

"Is this the guy who tipped you a fifty?" Yasuhara asked.

"He might be."

"So he's rich too… Better invite me to the wedding."

"Oh shut up," Mai poked him in the side. "We're just friends. He made that clear."

"You sound disappointed."

Mai shrugged.

"He's tall and he's cute and he's intelligent. And I think he's a bit lonely. Curse of travelling all the time I guess, he only talks to his brother and work colleagues."

"Trust you to go for the brooding loner type," Yasuhara teased.

"He's not a— Okay, maybe he is a little bit," Mai relented. "But nothing is going to happen. So it's no big deal."

"You never know, friends to lovers is a wonderful story trope," Yasuhara said. "Think of the pining. It'll be wonderful and I'll get a nice front row seat. It'll be like living fanfiction!"

"Eugh, I would never write something so cliche!"

"I've read your early stuff, it was way worse than—"

"Don't remind me! But friends to lovers is so overdone!" Mai complained.

"You say that as if you don't read a tonne of fanfiction with that exact plot line," Yasuhara accused.

Mai flushed red.

"That is besides the point, okay?"

Yasuhara laughed.

"Anyway," Mai went on. "I finished another chapter of my actual story, if you want to read it."

"Of course I want to read it!"

"Good, because I emailed you a link to the Google Doc," Mai said with a smile. "I'm not quite happy with the opening of the chapter, but I'm hoping a second pair of eyes will help on that. Or maybe I stared at it for too long, I don't know."

"Well I'll read it this evening," Yasuhara promised.

* * *

"Earl grey please."

"Mai's just on her break," Sarah replied. "She went outside for some fresh air, if you're looking for her."

"Thanks."

Oliver paid, tipped and collected his drink.

"She's not here?" Lin asked.

"She's on a break," Oliver replied. "Her co-worker suggested she might be outside."

"Come on then."

They found Mai outside, blowing her nose.

"You're sick," Oliver accused by way of a greeting.

"Well done for noticing," Mai replied. "Why are you here?"

"I just arrived back from Belgium. I have chocolate for you and your friend."

He held up a little bag.

"Oh, I forgot about that. Did your business go well?" Mai asked, taking the bag. "Thanks for the chocolate."

"You look like you're about to fall asleep."

"I'm fine."

"You should go home."

"I'm fine," Mai insisted. "I can't leave Sarah without any help."

"How long will it take for someone else to turn up?"

"I'm going back to work," Mai pressed. "I'm fine, Oliver."

"Lin," Oliver turned to his assistant. "Does she look fine to you?"

"No, she does not."

"And would you want to purchase drinks from her?"

"No."

"So she would be damaging her company's reputation if she stayed?"

Mai scowled.

"I'll see if anyone from the other terminals can come over," she interrupted. "But if they can't, I'm staying."

"Okay then," Oliver relented. "I'll wait for you."

"What?"

"I don't believe you're actually going to do it," he said. "So I'm going to wait. Also, I don't think you're fit to drive."

"Well how else will I get home?"

"We'll take you."

"But then my car will be here," Mai argued.

Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll drive you home, Lin can pick me up later."

"And when was the last time you drove?" Mai asked. "No offence, but you have a driver. You really think I'm going to let someone who barely drives drive me home?"

"I drove two weeks ago," Oliver replied. "Didn't I, Lin?"

"In Italy, yes."

"On the other side of the road."

"Mai, if I can be trusted not to break a brand new Lamborghini, I think I can drive your deathtrap."

Mai scowled.

"My car is not a death trap! It passed it's MOT!"

Oliver chose not to argue with this.

"Go and make the phone call."

Mai stalked off, pouting. When she was out of earshot, Oliver turned to Lin.

"Thank you for not pointing out that I only drove the Lambo a few metres," he said.

Lin smirked.

"I'm surprised they let you do that," he replied. "But I agree that she should not be driving herself home. I can follow you there if you want."

"No," Oliver said. "I…"

"You want to care for your sick friend?"

"Something like that. I have the weekend off, right?"

"Nothing in your calendar until Monday," Lin confirmed. "What do you want me to tell Gene?"

"Anything that'll shut him up," Oliver grumbled.

"Well depending on my wording, he might become more or less insistent about certain matters," Lin pointed out with a wry smile.

Oliver groaned.

"He's going to guess where I'm going either way," he said finally. "Just tell him the truth and let him react however he wants."

Lin smiled knowingly and Mai returned with her jacket over her arm.

"Sam is coming to help Sarah, Sarah kicked me out," she muttered. "Sarah is going for the assistant manager position so if she does well today, it'll look good for her. She's going to sort out a cover for me for the next few days."

"Works all around," Lin said. "I'll be off, let me know when you want picking up."

Lin walked away. Oliver rounded on Mai and held out his hand. She frowned.

"Keys."

Scowling, Mai pulled the keys from her pocket and dumped them in his hand.

"Lead the way," he said.

Mai complied.

As they reached her car, she groaned.

"You're going to adjust my seat, aren't you?"

Oliver opened the car door and appraised the space in front of him.

"On the basis that I will not fit if I do not, yes, I am going to adjust your seat."

"Eugh. This day just gets worse and worse."

"Just get in," Oliver muttered.

He adjusted the seat and Mai climbed in. As he started the engine and put his seatbelt on, Mai rooted around for a tissue box on the back seat. She found it under a spare jacket and grabbed a tissue.

"I hate being ill."

"I don't know many people that like it," Oliver said. He reversed out of the spot and left the car park before realising he was not entirely sure where he was going. "You're going to have to direct me."

Mai groaned again and began giving directions.

Some time later, Oliver parked up outside Mai's block of flats. She mumbled a word of thanks and led him inside.

"You can wait in here until your friend comes to collect you."

"Go and put your pyjamas on," Oliver muttered. "I'll make us drinks."

Mai decided not to argue and disappeared off down the corridor.

Oliver located the kitchen and flicked on the kettle. He could not keep the frown off his face as he glanced about Mai's humble abode.

As he poured two mugs of tea, something weaved around his legs, he looked down to see a fluffy grey cat.

"Hello?"

The cat meowed in reply. Oliver forgot the drinks for a moment and crouched down to greet the animal properly.

"Oh Luna, you slut, leave him alone."

Oliver looked up, surprised.

"I love her really," Mai mumbled. "But she always goes straight for any man that enters my apartment…"

"And you have a lot of men entering your apartment?" Oliver asked, standing up.

"Well… Not really. Not since the bathroom was redone. The landlord and his son fix everything themselves, she loved that. They gave her so much attention…"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not but she'll end up spoilt."

"Do you want milk or sugar?"

Mai was already retrieving her milk from the fridge.

"I'll do it," she mumbled. "You don't have to stay, I'll be okay."

"Do you have any medicine? Your fridge was empty," Oliver stated, looking unimpressed. "We passed a supermarket on the way here. Let me go and get you food."

"Oliver, really, I'm fine. I just need rest."

"You need food." Oliver reached along the counter and picked up Mai's keys. "You can't stop me. You may as well give me a shopping list."

Mai scowled.

"Why are you doing this? I barely know you."

"Because we're friends and this is what friends do."

Mai opened her mouth to argue, but she knew that any one of her other friends would do the exact same thing.

"Fine," she muttered.

She grabbed a pad and a pen and started scribbling a list. Oliver waited and drank his tea while he did so.

"There."

"Good. Now go and get into bed and watch Netflix or something."

"I don't have Netflix."

"Amazon Prime? Hulu? Whatever that other one is? NowTV?"

"No."

Oliver sighed.

"Do you have a laptop?"

"Yes."

"Give it to me."

Mai sighed and retrieved her laptop. She unlocked it and passed it to Oliver. He passed it back a minute later.

"There, that's my Netflix account. Use it."

"Thanks…"

"Now go and get into bed." Oliver turned to the cat. "Luna, I need you to keep an eye on her for me. I have a feeling she won't rest unless we make her."

Luna meowed.

"Good. I'll be back soon."

Mai saw Oliver out and then did as she was told. She finished her tea, plugged her laptop in and climbed into bed. She browsed Netflix and settled on The Good Place, a show she had heard much about but had never seen.

* * *

**Author's note: So I really need to get writing the rest of this, like I have maybe one more chapter ready... It's all planned! But I haven't _written_ it... Ah well, please review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Oliver returned about an hour later to find Mai fast asleep. Netflix had paused with 'are you still watching?' plastered across the screen. Luna had curled up at the end of Mai's bed.

He left her sleeping and put away the groceries as best he could. He then made himself another cup of tea. Mai's flat had no living room. Her kitchen spread into a dining area. So Oliver sat at her little table and began reading one of his course textbooks on his phone.

Mai woke up a few hours later. Oliver had been impervious to the passing of time. She came shuffling out of her room with a feline guardian dancing around her feet.

"You're still here?"

Oliver looked up.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You had yet to wake up. I need to relay the pharmacist's instructions regarding the medicine I bought you."

"Can't I just read the package?"

"I was also advised to make you dinner, by said pharmacist. So I will be listening to their advice. As you're now awake, I'll begin. I will make bolognese, if that's acceptable."

"Uh… Okay?" Mai held a hand to her head to check her temperature. "Aren't you like a busy business man?"

"Only when I have work," Oliver said, pocketing his phone and taking his jacket off. He hung it over the back of a chair and rolled up his shirt sleeves. "But as we take individual jobs, I can be as busy as I want to be. We've been reducing our workload lately as well as we have a longer term project coming up. So I've recently been taking a lot of short jobs."

"You don't have a steady paycheck? Isn't that—" Mai laughed. "I was about to ask if that was really scary that you don't have guaranteed work, but I suppose you're rich enough that you don't need to worry about that."

"No, we haven't had to worry about that for a while now," Oliver stated. "Where is your chopping board?"

Mai answered by locating various items of kitchenware Oliver might need to cook. She also flicked on the kettle to make herself a drink.

"Do you want one?"

"Yes," Oliver said as he began cutting onions and crushing garlic. "Do you have containers?"

"Huh?"

"I plan on making more than is suitable for just us, do you have something you can store the leftovers in?"

"Yes, somewhere in these cupboards I will do. Really, you don't have to do this."

"I want to. I don't often have the opportunity to do this sort of thing. Also, you're ill, so whatever I cook will taste pretty average to you. So even if I mess up, you will not criticise me."

Mai laughed. Then sneezed.

"Tissues are on the table."

Mai located the tissues and blew her nose properly.

"Thanks. How much do I owe you?"

"You don't. Your company is payment enough."

"I've been asleep for the last few hours," Mai pointed out.

"Exactly, the perfect company."

"You prefer your friends unconscious?" she asked.

"Sometimes."

Mai laughed again, though she was not entirely sure whether or not she should be concerned. She made them both tea, took her medicine at Oliver's recited instructions and took a seat at the table.

"So where does this big job take you?"

"Uh… All over the UK, actually. Near Watford, over to Reading, then up north to Derbyshire. A few other places no doubt, but that's the most of it."

"What are you selling this time? Or is it confidential?"

"Hmm, it is confidential. Or rather the details are, but…" He bit his lip for a moment, a bad habit he had picked up from his brother. "I am selling a story, I suppose."

"A story?"

"Yes, I cannot tell you more than that until it's complete."

Mai nodded and sipped her tea.

"Do you often sell stories?"

"No, this is my first time. It'll be interesting."

"Well if you prove proficient at it, can I have mate's rates on you selling my book?"

Oliver chuckled and tipped the mince into a large pan.

"I do not know if you can afford me."

"That's why I asked for mate's rates…"

"I'll consider it. I'd want to read it first."

Mai lowered her head.

"On the other hand, nope. It can stay in the dark recesses of my Google Drive and never see the public eye."

"You have that little confidence in your own work?"

"I'm still developing as a writer and looking back at anything I wrote even a few months ago is so cringeworthy."

"I cannot judge if you do not let me read it."

"That's fair. One of my friends who reads it says I've improved since the earlier chapters, but I dread going back and revising it. But I'm not sure if that's just Yasuhara being kind."

Oliver frowned for a moment, unseen by Mai. He stirred in passata into the mince.

"Do you object to me staying the night?" he asked. "I am concerned for your health."

Mai winced.

"I have nowhere for you to sleep but the floor. I mean I might have a blow-up mattress somewhere but—"

"That will do just fine. I will ask Lin to drop off some fresh clothing."

"Oliver, really, I'm fine. I just need rest and I'm awful company right now."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Well no, but I feel horribly indebted to you."

"Why? I assure you, if I did not want to do something, I would not do it."

Mai smiled.

"I trust you when you say that," she said. "Like, that you really mean it, rather than just saying it to make me feel better." She sighed. "Fine, if you really want to sleep on my floor, then I'll go find you a blow-up bed. But if you wake up with a bad back, I'm taking no responsibility."

Oliver smiled at the statement.

"Could you help me for a moment?" he asked. "Can you measure out some pasta?"

"Sure. The water will boil off my germs so I think that's safe."

Mai jumped up from her chair and sorted the pasta out while Oliver seasoned the bolognese.

Twenty minutes later, they sat down to eat.

"You were right, I can barely taste this," Mai said after a few mouthfuls. "How is it?"

"I think it's passable, considering my lack of consistent experience in the kitchen."

"I look forward to being well enough to taste it."

"Once the rest has cooled, I'll put it in containers and clean up. You should probably go back to bed after we've eaten."

"I have to find you bedding first," Mai said. "Besides, we could always watch something together if you want."

"These chairs aren't—"

"I mean we could sit on my bed," she mumbled, her cheeks flaring red. "Fully clothed," she added.

Oliver raised an eyebrow at her.

"You felt the need to add that last part?"

"I didn't want you to think I was trying to come on to you or anything!"

"You're ill, even if you were, I would rebuke said advances."

He took another bite of the bolognese.

"Just because I was ill?" Mai asked.

"Of course, your mental faculties are not optimum when ill. I would not want you to make a decision you might regret."

"And if I wasn't ill, would you rebuke my advances? I don't think I would regret it, you're smoking hot and I haven't even kissed anyone in years."

Mai stuffed her mouth with food before she could say another word. Oliver swallowed and tried not to look too bemused by her openness.

"Perhaps when your mental faculties are back in working order, we can have this conversation again," he said calmly.

Mai just shrugged.

They finished eating. Oliver washed up while Mai made a bed for him on the floor. They then retreated to her bedroom and continued to watch The Good Place until Mai once again fell asleep.

Oliver shut her laptop down and slipped out of the room. He passed the time until Lin arrived with his overnight bag by reading once again. Lin did not question the request, but dropped off the bag with little conversation.

Oliver changed into his pyjamas, climbed into the blow up bed and slept.

* * *

Mai woke up and groaned. Slowly, memories from the previous night came back to her. She felt hungover, though had not drunk any alcohol.

She stretched and sat up and was hit in the face with words she had most definitely said.

'_I don't think I would regret it, you're smoking hot and I haven't even kissed anyone in years._'

"Oh no…"

Mai turned over and stuffed her face into a pillow. Then regretted the action as her nose began to run. She darted out of her bed and into the living area where she spotted a box of tissues. She had to half climb over Oliver's sleeping form to get to the tissues, but that was a small price to pay.

She blew her nose and sighed in relief.

Then Oliver cleared his throat.

She looked down, alarmed.

Not only were her legs straddling him — and the blow up bed — but he was topless. The blankets she had given him had pooled about his waist.

"Well I was right, you are smoking hot."

She slapped her hand over her mouth and ran back to her room. She dove under the covers and pulled them up over her head.

"Mai?"

She groaned.

"Mai can't come to the phone right now, please leave a message," she called out.

"I thought you might like the tissues," Oliver said. "I'll leave them on the end of your bed."

"Uh, right, thanks."

"I'm going to cook breakfast, I'll shout when it's ready."

"Did you… Did you hear what I said?" Mai asked quietly, hoping he would not hear her.

"Which bit?" Oliver asked.

"Uh—"

"But yes, I have heard every word both this morning and last night. I have a remarkable memory."

"That's great. I'm just going to die here, okay?"

"Okay."

Mai groaned again. She remained under the covers so long that she began to feel hot from the lack of oxygen. When it became unbearable, she pushed them back and sucked in fresh air.

She blew her nose again, then looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. Her mouth fell open. A half-naked adonis stood, leant against the door frame, one hand carefully ruffling his hair and the other holding a plate of smoked salmon and avocado on toast in the other.

Mai swallowed. Hard.

"You're doing this on purpose now," Mai accused, attempting for some bravado.

"Well when you react like that, can you blame me?"

"Go and put a shirt on."

"Once I've showered, I will."

Mai scowled and accepted the plate he offered her.

"Damn, you can tell you're rich. Who can afford avocados at our age…"

Oliver retrieved his own breakfast and then sat on the end of her bed.

They ate in relative silence, bar the occasional sneeze and subsequent nose blowing from Mai.

Oliver finished first.

"I presume you would like to remain in bed?"

"Well if you're going to insist on walking around half-naked then yes."

Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Is my body that's hideous?"

Mai scowled.

"That's not the problem and you know it," she muttered darkly.

"I mean, if you just kept your eyes on my face rather than ogling me like a piece of meat then perhaps you'd be having less trouble."

Mai scowled again, pushed her plate further down the bed and then flopped backwards.

"I give up."

"I'll get you a drink, seeing as you are so thirsty."

Mai made a strangled noise and Oliver chuckled.

He did make her a drink and provided her with more medicine.

"I'm going to shower and then I plan to do some of my university work. Lin dropped it off with some spare clothes."

"Oh, so you do have clothes?"

Oliver ignored her.

"If you want anything, just shout and I will retrieve it." He turned to leave, then thought better of it. "Actually, do you mind if I take a picture to send to my brother, so I have proof that I didn't just avoid him for the night?"

"What?"

"Do you mind if I take—"

"No, I heard you, I just don't understand why you want to take a picture now? You're not wearing anything and I am a mess! It's going to look—"

"You look fine."

Mai raised an eyebrow at him and he clarified.

"Well, considering you're ill." Oliver shrugged. "But he won't care. He'll be too shocked that I am actually taking care of a friend, I imagine."

"Are you just doing this, helping me I mean, just to prove something to your brother?" Mai asked.

"No, but it is fun to prove to him that I'm not a robot upon occasion… It makes him happy."

Mai sighed.

"Fine, take the damn photo."

Oliver moved around the bed and perched on the edge nearest Mai. She looked around to see him hold the camera selfie-style. She stuck her tongue out at it while he took the photo.

"Perfect," he said. "Do you want to check it?"

"No."

"I will send you a copy."

"Thanks," she deadpanned. Her phone buzzed a second later. She reached for it and unlocked it. "I look awful."

"You're ill, forgive yourself."

Mai grumbled and flicked through a few of her other messages. Oliver stood up and made to leave.

"Shout if you need anything."

Oliver showered, enjoying Mai's lavender body wash and strawberry shampoo and conditioner. He dressed in casual clothing, thoroughly aware that his choices all cost more than Mai's entire wardrobe.

He then proceeded to work on Mai's table, while she dozed in her bedroom. She appeared once or twice to use the toilet, but did not stop for conversation.

She properly woke up mid afternoon.

"Hey."

Oliver looked up from his workbook to see her standing in her bedroom doorway with bed hair and crumpled pyjamas.

"Hey."

"I'm starving, there's bolognese leftover right?" she asked.

"Yes, but I'll need to cook some pas—"

"It's okay, I'll do it," she insisted. "I'm feeling better for some sleep."

Oliver smiled and closed his textbook. He wiped his eyes and stretched upwards.

"Have you been sat there all morning?"

"Yes," he answered. "I've been quite productive. Usually I have my brother interrupting me every two minutes. I've enjoyed the peace and quiet."

"Well I'm glad my illness has provided some benefit."

Mai poured water into the kettle and flicked it on. As she measured out two portions of pasta and found a clean pan, she spoke up again.

"Look, I'm sorry about before. You're right, I shouldn't have ogled and—"

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. Staring is rude and my mother brought me up better than that," she insisted. "And as much as I want to stand here and blame you for being so damn attractive but I think that's classified as victim blaming and I won't stand for that."

Oliver smirked and stood up. He strode towards into the kitchen.

The kettle boiled, Mai tipped the water into the pan and dumped the pasta in after. She turned around and almost walked into Oliver's chest.

"Sorry!"

"So you think I'm attractive?"

Mai's cheeks flushed red.

"You know I do," she muttered with a scowl, pushing past him. "And you're just being mean now."

"Well, if you didn't react…"

"Now who's victim blaming."

Oliver chuckled.

"Do you plan on staying tonight as well?" Mai asked, plonking down into a chair.

"Well, if you have no objections. I will have to leave tomorrow as I have to work on Monday."

Mai sighed.

"I can't believe you genuinely prefer to stay here with a sick person and crappy internet and—"

"And peace and quiet and no one hassling me and amusement in the form of you…"

"Oi!" Mai pouted. "I'm sick, you're supposed to be nice to me."

Oliver shrugged.

"I cooked for you. I decided not to sue you for sexual harassment."

Mai just rolled her eyes.

"I know a lawyer," she said. "Who is very good at his job and would definitely win so…"

"Oh really. And you can afford his services?"

"He'd give them to me for free."

"Oh really, close friend, is he?"

Mai narrowed her eyes at Oliver.

"Yes," she said carefully. "Yes he is. Very close. Why? Are you jealous?"

Oliver scoffed.

"No."

"Oh really? Because you answered that question quite quickly…"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Mai laughed.

"You're a good actor huh," she said, standing up and returning to the hob to stir the pasta.

"Well I should hope so. It would be hard to sell things if I was not a good actor."

"Fair point," Mai conceded. "I think my customer service face is too obvious, but I'm not sure I care."

"Your customers move on so quickly, I'm not sure many will notice or care," Oliver said. "Besides, the reviews of your cafe are excellent."

Mai laughed.

"Yeah, because people check out google reviews for airport cafes… We're a chain. People come because they're familiar with the chain."

Oliver had no argument for that, but luckily, the pasta was almost done. He retrieved the tub of bolognese from the fridge and shoved it in the microwave.

"I can leave if you're uncomfortable with me being here."

"No, no, it's quite nice just having someone else here," Mai said with a sad smile. "You know, last time I was sick I just suffered alone. And I know it's a bit dramatic but if I had taken a turn for the worse… Well…" She shrugged.

"Why don't you live with other friends?"

"I did, but then they had to move because of work or they got boyfriends… I considered getting a bigger place and subletting but honestly the stress of finding someone that isn't a scumbag was just…"

"More effort than it's worth."

"Yeah, and I already struggle because I have a cat so…"

"Where is Luna? I haven't seen her all morning."

"Probably sleeping in my wardrobe," Mai said in an offhand manner. "She does that a lot…"

A faint vibration caught their attention.

"That'll be my phone," Mai mumbled. "Can you check the pasta? Drain it if it's ready."

She retreated into her room and returned a moment later reading something on her phone.

"Oh damn…"

"What is it?" Oliver asked as he began to portion out the food.

"Sarah just texted me, apparently Masako Hara just visited the cafe."

Oliver feigned ignorance.

"Who?"

"She's an actress. She did an interview a while back and hinted she's going to be in the Disgrace and Deception film! She wouldn't say any more than that, but I am so excited for it. She's such a great actress. Have you not heard of her? She was that film about people going to Mars…"

"The one that came out last year? Yes, I think I might have seen that," Oliver said with a slight frown. "My brother enjoys sci-fi films. Well, he enjoys most films."

"But yeah, she went into my cafe! And I missed it!"

Oliver brought the two plates of food to the table.

"You would like to meet her?"

"Well, yeah."

"What if she was a bitch?" Oliver asked, curious.

"She can be a bitch and still an amazing actress. I would still like to express to her my gratitude for her skill. Like, she's been in some other things I've watched and she makes me feel things, you know?"

"Fair enough. I've often found meeting your heroes is a mistake."

"Which hero of yours have you met?"

"An author of a textbook that I had enjoyed," Oliver revealed. "He had inspired me in his book, but in person… It was obvious he was jaded. He had lost enthusiasm for his subject. He disappointed me."

Mai nodded.

"Yeah. Sometimes it's hard to remember that these people we admire are humans too."

For the afternoon, Oliver continued working through maths problems, while Mai joined him at the table to edit her latest chapter. They were interrupted only by the occasional sneeze from Mai, and once or twice by Luna demanding attention.

By the evening, Mai was feeling a lot better. She insisted on cooking and Oliver had no objections. After dinner, they watched a film together.

"It's weird," Mai began as the credits rolled.

"What is?"

"Realistically, I think I've not known you all that long, and yet here I am, letting you stay over and watch films and… I don't know, it feels like I've known you ages. I guess I'm just comfortable around you."

"Yes, strictly speaking, letting some random man into your apartment might not have been the brightest idea you've had…"

"You're not some random man though."

Oliver looked around so fast he cricked his neck.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, it's like we discussed before. You've been seen on camera at the airport with me so often that I'm sure someone would figure it out if you kidnapped me or something. Besides, my friends all know that I met you."

"They do?"

"Yes, one of them even made fun of the fact that I put your name in as Oliver Gold-Dust…"

Oliver chuckled.

"I didn't know your real surname!" Mai protested.

"That's fair. I have you down as Mai Tea."

"How did you know my surname began with a T?"

Oliver frowned.

"I didn't," he said. "I mean Tea as in the drink."

"Oh… That makes more sense. Do you want to watch another film or head to sleep?"

"It's getting late," Oliver said. "I think we should sleep. I know you said you're feeling better, but you should still rest."

Mai rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"Okay, I suppose you're right."

* * *

**Author's note: EXTRA LONG CHAPTER because I'm so late! Sorry, I've been looking at apartments because I'm moving and life is hectic and I'm starting therapy and all the rest of it. So enjoy this and please review! I'm also thinking about what to write for NaNoWriMo... I might write something that is *not* an AU... #wild.**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Oliver received a phone call much earlier than he liked.

"Who was it?" Mai asked once he had finished the call.

"Lin. They want to head down today, so I will have to leave much earlier than expected." Oliver pursed his lips for a moment. "What days do you work this week?"

"Monday through Wednesday, then Saturday and Sunday."

He thought for a moment.

"You could visit me, we're only working the other side of Reading. I could have someone pick you up and you could come for dinner."

"I can drive to Reading, Oliver, it's not that far."

"I was trying to save you the cost of the fuel, but—"

Mai laughed.

"How poor do you think I am? Or how out of touch are you that you don't know how much petrol costs?"

"I filled up your car when I went grocery shopping, I am fully aware of how much petrol costs."

Mai scowled.

"What did you do that for?"

"It was almost empty."

"I can look after myself, you know."

"I do know. But you were ill and now you have one less thing to worry about."

Mai huffed, but relented in her argument.

"Would you like to come for dinner? You can stay in our hotel apartment after. There's enough room. You would have to meet my brother though…"

"You make that sound as if it's a terrible thing. I thought you liked your brother."

"I do. But he's going to be revolting about you."

"How so?"

"Because you're my first non-work friend in… Well, a long time."

"Right, and because I'm female he's going to insinuate even more? I get it," Mai said. "It'll be fine. Does he not have someone you can tease him about?"

Oliver appeared taken aback by this suggestion.

"I… Perhaps. I will have to see…" He bit his lip. "Perhaps he does…"

"Well let me know."

"Yes, I will do. I'll let you know about Wednesday too."

Mai smiled.

"Okay."

And Oliver left.

* * *

"Alright," Yasuhara concluded, shuffling the papers into one pile, "I think that's everything for now." He looked from Gene to Oliver and smiled. "It's been nice to meet you, Oliver. I've heard a lot about you from your brother."

Oliver nodded.

"I appreciate what you are doing for us. Honestly, what do you expect our chances to be?"

"I'm confident we can sort this contract issue out."

"Would you like to have lunch with us?" Gene asked, beaming.

"Oh I—"

"Wait, we're paying you by the hour, you have to and you can just charge us for your time," Gene went on. "I want you to have lunch with us."

"I can't argue with that."

"I'll leave then," Oliver said, making to stand up.

But Gene dragged his brother back down into his seat.

"Oh no, you're staying."

"I do not want to sit here and third wheel—"

Gene scowled.

"You're staying. Because I want you to. I'm going to get the menu."

He jumped up and moved through the penthouse apartment. Both Yasuhara and Oliver watched him go. Once he was out of earshot, Yasuhara turned to Oliver.

"You're dating Mai, aren't you?"

"What? How did you—"

"It's not that common a name. You're dating her," Yasuhara accused in a low hiss.

"I am not dating anyone."

Yasuhara rolled his eyes.

"Look, however you want to define what's going on between you two, there is something going on. And she doesn't know who you really are. I get it, you like that, but you can't lie to her forever. If it gets found out, she could get hurt. And you will have trouble from me if she gets hurt."

Oliver opened his mouth to reply to Yasuhara's unprompted tirade, but Gene returned before he could speak.

"Right," he handed out menus, "decide what you want and I'll phone down to the restaurant. We'll get it brought up," he added to Yasuhara. "Save's the problem of disturbing other guests in the restaurant."

The three young men chose their meals, Gene ordered and they were about to start a new conversation — Gene was interested in some local issue — when the door to the penthouse suite opened.

Lin entered, but neither Gene nor Oliver's shoulders relaxed.

Because Lin was not the only person to enter the apartment.

"Who's that?" Jeffery demanded.

Yasuhara stood up and held his hand out.

"Hi, I'm Ichigoya, I'm from the PR department for Disgrace and Deception. We heard some rumours through the press that there might be some trouble at one of the later shoots so I came here to personally reassure our budding young lead actors that their security is our first priority."

Jeffery sneered.

"I should help so," he muttered. "If either of these two end up with so much as a bruise on their body, I will sue you for everything you're worth."

"It's gratifying to know that you care so much for your sons," Yasuhara said.

"We were about to have lunch," Gene said quickly. "Do you want to join us?"

"No," Jeffery dismissed. "I have a massage booked in with the spa."

His lip curled up in a way that made the rest of the room uncomfortable.

"I'm going to change."

He left for his own bedroom.

"Good save," Lin muttered. "Might I join you?"

"Sure," Gene said, passing Lin the menu as he sat down. "Order what you want."

"Thanks."

Jeffery leaves his bedroom a minute later, as Lin is ordering his own food, he smiles at the young men and leaves.

Oliver looked to Yasuhara, expecting him to continue his earlier — for want of a better word — threat. But he did not. Instead, Gene started a conversation regarding travellers camping in a local park.

Their food turned up.

Oliver did not pay much attention to the conversation. He nodded and hummed in appropriate places, but his mind was elsewhere.

He was thinking about Mai.

He liked her. He knew that. He liked her more than as just a friend too. He understood that.

He knew his brother would tease him, but secretly be happy about it.

But he also knew that if Mai found out he was a model — and a high paid, famous one at that — that she would treat him differently.

He did not want her to treat him differently.

However, if he did not tell her soon, she would feel deceived. It might already be too late for that…

And there was also a small part of him that worried that she would go to the press. She could make a lot of money off of her story. A lot of press outlets would pay good money for a story on him.

He and Eugene were relatively clean when it came to scandals. The closest they had was that time when Gene had drunk a little too much and received a noise complaint for shouting about how he loved everyone in the middle of the night.

Even that had only earnt his brother a 'lovable scamp' label.

But as with everything good, people wanted to ruin it. And Oliver felt like lying to a hardworking young woman to get into her apartment would count as a stain on his reputation.

"Noll? Are you okay?"

Oliver broke out of his thoughts and looked up at his brother.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You look pensive?"

Oliver looked from Gene to Yasuhara and back again.

"I'm fine."

He forced a smile and returned his attention to his lukewarm food.

If Gene was concerned, he did not say anything further on the subject. Or at least, he didn't until Yasuhara left half an hour later.

"Are you okay?" he asked his twin.

"I told you, I'm fine."

"Yeah, you said that because Yasuhara was here."

"It's hard to share your feelings when your brother is busy flirting."

Gene pouted at him.

"Look, if you were into men, you would be flirting with him too. I bet you're just as disgusting with Mai."

"I am not disgusting in the slightest, but I'm glad you recognise you are."

Gene scowled.

"Seriously Noll, are you okay? Something's bothering you, I can tell."

"I have invited Mai over for the evening on Wednesday," Oliver said in a hesitant voice.

"That's great!" Gene beamed. "What are you worried about? You think I'm going to embarrass you?"

"I know you're going to embarrass me," Oliver deadpanned. "That is not what concerns me."

"Then what is it?"

Oliver paused before answering, considering his words.

"Mai does not know what we do. I fear that when she finds out, she will have negative feelings."

"Oh."

"And she is also a fan of Disgrace and Deception."

"Oh…"

"Yes."

"I see the problem now. What do you want to do about it?"

"I want to live in this moment where she is oblivious and still likes me and for nothing to change."

Gene snorted and gave his brother a pitying look.

"If I could give you that, I would. I think you should tell her. I mean, if she doesn't take it weirdly and stuff, and—"

"She doesn't treat me differently."

"Yeah and that, then you could win major brownie points with her by introducing her to the cast and writers and stuff."

Oliver did not look pleased with this.

"I do not want to buy her affection."

"From what you told me, you don't need to. Also, didn't you basically do that by buying her food and stuff already."

"That's different. I ate the food too. I imposed by staying at her apartment and—"

"Did way more than you needed to," Gene interrupted. "I wouldn't stress it. Would she do the same for you, if she could?"

"She offered to buy me McDonald's? Otherwise, she has not been given the opportunity." Oliver sighed. "She treats me like a normal person. Even before all this," he gestured to the hotel suite, "I was rarely treated like a normal person…"

Gene grimaced.

"Well let's focus on having a good evening on Wednesday. I'll have a think about your problem. Maybe once I've met her, I'll be able to help you work out the best way to tell her stuff."

"Thanks."

"That's what big brothers are for," Gene said.

Oliver groaned; they both knew full well he was the oldest.

* * *

"Mai, take a break," Sarah insisted. "You're all over the place."

"But—"

"Take this cup of tea to John."

Sarah thrust the cup into Mai's hands and practically shoved her out from behind the cafe counter. Mai did not bother to argue, but instead started walking towards the information desk where she knew John would be.

She spotted John's golden hair first, followed by his bright smile as he drew on a paper map for the tourist in front of him. She smiled at the sight. She knew too many people ruined by customer service, but John was ever cheerful and almost annoyingly optimistic.

She let herself in through the back door of the information desk booth and waited for him to finish.

"Hello Mai," he said, once the tourist had left.

"I brought you tea, Sarah insisted."

"That's very kind of her, how much do I owe you?" John asked.

"Nothing, Sarah wanted rid of me because I've been all over the place. She thought the walk would do me good," Mai replied with an embarrassed smile. "How are you?"

"Busy as always," John said. He drank a little of the tea and smiled. "I have taken up gardening in my spare time and it's really gratifying seeing things grow. I've made a lot of friends at the allotment, including this lovely old lady who only grows roses. She keeps flirting with me despite being at least three times my age, bless her."

Mai laughed.

"Well if you weren't such a lovely young man, old ladies wouldn't flirt with you."

"Oh no, she only likes me for my exotic Australian accent!"

Mai laughed again.

"Perhaps," she agreed, "but I bet you've been helping them all."

"Oh, only a little. Her hip is bad and she was trying to move all this fertiliser and—"

"And you wonder why people like you."

John blushed.

"What's been getting to you then?" he asked. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Mai sighed. She had known John would ask, and something about the earnest look in his eyes made her want to share.

"I'm going on a sort of date but not really tonight."

"That's exciting!"

"I'm going to be meeting his brother and stuff," Mai plowed on. "So there is the pressure of wanting to make a good impression on him. And then they're like stupid rich, right? So if it was anyone else, I would take a bottle of wine or chocolates or something, right? But nothing I buy in a supermarket on the way there is going to compete with anything they're used to having. So I wondered if it was worth bothering at all! But then if I don't it looks rude! And I'm heading straight from work and I've got my dress in the car because I want to look nice but this guy looks like a damn model and dresses really well and I'm wearing a discounted dress from TKMaxx and I forgot my makeup so I'm just going to go like this and—"

"Mai, breathe."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry."

"I just really like this guy. He's interesting and nice and stuff."

"And this is the guy who looked after you while you were sick right?"

Mai frowned.

"How do you know that?"

"Sarah told me."

She scowled.

"You two have been gossiping about me!" Mai accused.

"We were mutually enjoying the fact that you'd found a decent guy," John defended. "But my point is that he's already seen you when you're a mess, and he invited you for dinner. He likes you the way you are. So don't stress about what you're wearing. I'm sure he'll appreciate that you've made an effort, regardless of what you actually look like. As for bringing a dinner gift, yes, I agree you should, but he's got any manners, then he won't make a comment that it's cheap wine or whatever. But you're driving there right? You won't drink too much if you're driving back, right?"

"They offered for me to stay over. They have enough room apparently."

"Who's looking after Luna?"

"I offered the teenager from the flat below me unlimited access to my Netflix if he'd pop in and feed Luna for me this evening…"

"He doesn't have it?"

"His mum can't afford it, she lost her job and has been struggling to get another one," Mai said with a grimace. "I left a twenty on the side as well with a note attached to it, so if he actually does feed Luna, he gets some pocket money. It's hard being that age and not being able to afford to go out with his mates and stuff."

John smiled.

"You're a good person."

Mai shrugged.

"He's a cat person by the sounds of it, so it'll be fine." Mai sighed. "Like all the things you've said are perfectly logical and valid, but I keep worrying. And what if his brother doesn't like me?"

"Then his brother doesn't like you. These things happen."

"I want him to like me though."

"Then just be yourself. I don't know anyone reasonable that doesn't like you."

"Thanks, John."

"Right, it looks like I have customers, thanks for the tea. What time are you finishing today?"

"Six."

"Great, I'll see you after work then."

"Okay, later."

Mai took a deep breath, and headed back to the cafe.

* * *

When Mai stepped out of the toilets closest to the cafe at the airport, she was greeted by John. He was holding a fancy looking paper bag.

"Hey?" she greeted him with a frown.

"I told you I would see you later," he replied, beaming. "I asked around and found you some things to take."

"What?"

He passed her the fancy paper bag. She could not read the super curly calligraphy on the outside, but she opened it nevertheless. Inside was a bottle of red wine and two boxes of chocolates.

"I don't recognise the names…" Mai mumbled. "What—"

"I have a friend who works in duty free," John explained. "These are the brands where if you ask the price tag, you can't afford them."

"John, I can't take these!"

"She owed me a favour. Besides, the chocolates are almost at their best before date. They need to be eaten Mai, otherwise you'll be contributing to food waste and destroying the planet."

"John, we work in an airport."

"All the more reason to do your part, and eat these chocolates."

"I hate you sometimes."

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't." Mai sighed. "Okay, but you and your friend are getting free drinks from me for a while, okay?"

John beamed.

"Sounds perfect."

Mai left the airport with her gift from John in tow. She joined the late commuter traffic on the M4 and made her way through the never ending roadworks at 50mph.

She arrived at the address Oliver had given her with ten minutes to spare. The location was a large historic house that had been converted into a hotel. The grounds looked like something from a period romance movie.

Mai's old banger of a car looked very out of place.

She gritted her teeth and pulled up. A young man walked up to her car as she climbed out. She'd see this happen in movies.

"May I have your keys, Madam?"

"Of course, thank you."

It was only as she walked into the hotel that she realised she ought to have tipped and left her luggage, rather than bring it in herself. Sighing, she continued towards the front desk.

"Good evening, Madam, how might I help you?"

"My name is Mai Taniyama, I'm here to see—"

"Right this way, Madam. We're expecting you."

"Oh, right, of course."

"Would you like me to take your luggage?" the receptionist offered.

"Oh, no, I'm okay thank you."

The receptionist led Mai to a lift, where they entered. The receptionist pulled out a keycard and inserted it into the panel on the wall of the lift. He selected a button and the doors closed.

The lift rose. Mai opened her mouth a few times, wanting to fill the awkward silence.

The lift came to a stop and the doors opened.

"Excuse me sirs, you have a guest."

Mai exited the lift, the receptionist remained inside. Oliver was waiting in the open plan living room.

He half smiled upon seeing her.

The lift doors closed once again, and they were alone.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he echoed. "How are you?"

"Feeling very out of place," she admitted. "I dressed up and everything and I still feel like I shouldn't be here."

"Did any of the staff—"

"Oh no, they were all polite and lovely. But that doesn't make me feel any more comfortable."

"I'm sorry," Oliver said. "I do not want you to feel uncomfortable."

"I brought you a dinner gift," Mai said, thrusting the bag into Oliver's arms.

Oliver peeked into the bag and then raised an eyebrow at Mai.

"A friend of a friend works in duty free, they helped me out. I was worried about bringing a ten pound bottle of wine and a five quid box of chocolates."

"You needn't have worried. I did not expect anything."

"My mother would turn in her grave if I had not brought something," Mai said. "But if you don't want them, I'll take them home and drown my sorrows in them when I inevitably embarrass myself in front of your brother."

Oliver chuckled.

"I am not concerned about that in the slightest. I think you'll get on rather well."

"You do?"

"Yes, he likes to embarrass me. So if you are concerned, ask for stories, I'm sure he'll oblige."

Mai laughed nervously.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"In the gym," Oliver replied. "He'll be done soon. We have a little time alone. You can put your overnight back in that room."

He gestured to a door.

"Thanks."

"Do you want a drink?"

"Please, I've been stuck in traffic on the M4 for a while. I thought I would be late."

"Tea?"

"That would be great," Mai said. She picked up her overnight back and deposited it in the guest room, before joining Oliver in the kitchenette.

He poured their drinks and they took a seat on one of the sofas.

"How was work?" he asked.

Mai groaned.

"I was a mess all day," she admitted. "Worried about messing up with this evening. What about you?"

"I've been preparing for our next client," Oliver replied slowly. "Lots of learning."

"You sound distasteful."

"I would rather spend my time on my Masters…"

Mai smiled.

"Is there anything I can do to ease your concerns?" Oliver asked.

"It'll be fine," she insisted. "I know I've just built it up in my head and that I am overthinking it. Once I meet your brother and everything, it'll be fine and I'll feel silly about worry about it."

"I reserve the right to tease you about it."

Mai scowled.

"It's only because I actually like you that I'm worried."

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"I never would have guessed that you liked me," Oliver said in a low voice. "What was it you called me?" He paused for effect. "Ah yes, 'smoking hot'..."

Mai cradled her head in her hands.

"I was ill!" she whined. "You can't hold that against me!"

"And what would you like me to hold against you?" Oliver enquired.

"Stop it!" Mai pouted. "You're teasing me!"

Oliver smirked.

"Maybe I am."

Before Mai could reply, the lift door opened.

* * *

**Author's note: Another long one because I'm late! I blame Ben because he's disrupted my life. But he now has a job! Which is great! I'm exhausted... I'll try and get another chapter out soon! But life is hectic at the moment so... Please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

"You must be Mai," Gene said as he strode out of the lift. His hair was wet with sweat and his shirt was discoloured. "I would offer to shake your hand but I fear that would put you off me."

Mai laughed nervously.

"Go and shower," Oliver ordered, his smile gone.

"Yes, sir!" Gene mock saluted and traipsed through to his private ensuite.

"Well, I think you made the better first impression than he did," Oliver muttered.

"Thank you?"

"He was teasing me this morning that he was going to play-act as some villainous character and see how long he could have you going…"

"I probably would have cried," Mai mumbled. "I'm glad he didn't."

"Yes." Oliver reached over the edge of the sofa and picked up a menu from the side table. "Why don't you look at the menu for dinner?"

Mai took the menu and began reading.

"It surprises me they have a menu, I thought this sort of fancy place just cooked whatever people ordered…"

"Oh they do, but people often find having a menu of suggested items helps them decide."

"Fair enough," Mai conceded, "I admit, if you'd just asked me what I wanted I would not have known what to say. It's not like I can just ask for bangers and mash in a place like this…"

"You can."

"What?"

"You can ask for bangers and mash if that is what you want."

"And miss out on something fancy?"

Oliver chuckled.

"Fancy food isn't always what people prop it up to be…"

"Fair point," Mad admitted.

"Besides, a good chef will take something 'normal' and make it even better."

Mai pursed her lips.

"Do I really want one of your chefs ruining bangers and mash for me though? What if it's so good that nothing I cook will ever be good enough again?"

"Then I guess you'll just have to visit me more often."

Mai's cheeks flushed, but she was saved the trouble of speaking as Gene had re-entered the room.

"Hey, you guys decided on dinner yet?" he asked, noticing the menus.

"Not yet," Oliver said, sitting back a little and increasing the distance between himself and Mai. "How was your workout?"

"Monk put me through my paces."

"The usual then."

Gene noticed Mai's frown.

"Monk is our personal trainer," he explained. "His real name isn't Monk, but he trained with monks in Asia and will not shut up about it if you get him talking about it."

Mai laughed nervously and made a conscious effort to stop twisting her hands together.

Gene flopped down into the chair opposite Oliver and Mai.

"I was thinking about lamb," he said. "I haven't had lamb in ages."

Oliver shrugged.

"If you want."

"Mai?" Gene prompted with a charming smile.

"I usually can't afford lamb so sure." A look of mortification washed over her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out. I don't mean it like—"

"It's fine," Gene said.

His smile did little to put Mai at ease; she bit her lip.

"Why don't you order the lamb for us, Noll, while I get to know your girlfriend a little better here?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes at his brother but nodded. Mai looked around, interested in the fact he had not corrected the 'girlfriend' assumption and also terrified to be left alone with this new entity.

"So, you're a barista?"

Mai stopped following Oliver with her eyes and looked to his brother.

"Technically I'm the manager, but yes, I am also a barista I guess. I just do a lot of paperwork too."

"I found you on Twitter you know, lots of pictures of your cat."

Mai cringed.

"Yeah, I haven't used Twitter in ages. But when I first got it that's what I used it for. Luna is adorable and I had a few friends that liked seeing her antics."

She shrugged.

"But you didn't go for Instagram?"

"No?" Mai shrugged again. "I had a few friends that used Twitter and they kept bugging me to get it, so I did. I stopped using it when I realised how political it was. Like, I know I need to keep up with the news and all, but Twitter can get very depressing."

Mai was acutely aware that Gene was studying her answers.

"Do you use Twitter?" she asked.

Gene laughed.

"Oh no, I don't really use any social media. I think we have business accounts but I don't see much of it…" He glanced around to check on his brother, then leant towards Mai. "So, what do you like about Noll?"

"What?"

"Come on, he's awkward and rude and yet you still befriended him, why?"

Mai frowned and tried not to be too offended on Oliver's behalf at this question.

"I work in an airport. I have people talking to me from all around the world almost every day. I have so many cultures and differing social norms thrown at me that I've sort of lost touch with what's considered normal. But to actually answer your question, he's interesting. Not many people turn up five minutes before closing and chat with me like I'm a human being rather than a slave. Not many people will sit in my car with me and discuss economic theory. Not many people would… Would take their own time to look after me when I'm ill. He did." Mai realised how serious her tone had become and attempted to lighten the mood. "Besides, Luna likes him and she has good taste."

Mai could not tell if Gene was satisfied with her answer, but he did not ask another before Oliver returned.

"Has he been giving you a hard time?" Oliver enquired, eyebrow raised.

"He's been cyberstalking me, it seems," Mai answered. "Found my old twitter account that's full of pictures of Luna."

"She is worthy of having pictures taken of her," he stated. "Is that all?"

"I also found her fanfiction account," Gene said. "But I decided to save questions about that for later."

Mai's eyes widened.

"Which ones did you read?" she demanded. "Because I started writing those when I was young and some of them are awful and not at all representative of what I can do and—"

"Oh, I can tell," Gene said with a smirk. "I started reading one based on Ouran High School Host Club with a very tense relationship between Haruhi and Hika—"

"No! Shhh! You can't have read that! I was a kid when I wrote that and it's so bad!" Mai covered her face with her hands.

"I also found something that I really hope you did not write as a child about some people called Hak and Yona and that was not PG in the slightest!"

Mai grabbed the nearest cushion and shoved her face into it.

Oliver removed the cushion from Mai's face. She grabbed another one.

"Mai?" he prompted.

"Mai can't come to the phone right now, she died."

Gene laughed.

"Mai," Oliver said again, but this time, Gene interrupted.

"Mai, if you don't come out, I'll show Oliver your stories."

Mai launched the cushion at Gene. Then covered her mouth in horror as the cushion hit Gene squarely in the face.

There was a moment of silence as the cushion tumbled to the floor before Gene burst out laughing.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—"

"Mai, he's messing with you," Oliver said. "He's already shown me them."

She spun around, cheeks still red and her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

"I have to leave," she stammered. "I'm sorry."

She stumbled to her feet and was halfway to the room where she had left her bags when Oliver caught her arm.

She turned to face him and he let go immediately.

"He showed them to me several days ago. If I found them so cringeworthy that I did not want to see you again, I had plenty of time to cancel on you. As you might have noticed, I did not."

Gene's raucous laughter died down.

"You've seen all the worst bits of me," Mai mumbled, trying to keep the whining tone out of her voice. "First when I was ill and now this!"

"If these are the worst bits of you then you really have nothing to worry about. You're staying for dinner."

"You two are so cute," Gene said.

Oliver glowered at his brother.

"And you will behave," he muttered.

Gene was rescued from further reprimands by the arrival of their dinner. Waiters swarmed into the suite, set the dining table and lay out the food before disappearing again.

The three adults took their seats and began to eat.

Oliver took a slight lead on the conversation, asking Mai more about her day at work and how Luna had been. Gene threw in a few questions here and there, but did not press Mai as he had done previously. After they had finished eating, Gene excused himself.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone then," he said, winking at his brother, and left for what Mai presumed was his bedroom.

Oliver rolled his eyes.

"He's an idiot."

"No, he's not," Mai said quietly. "He cares about you and is trying to suss me out. He's probably worried that I'm only interested in you because you're rich or something." She smiled sadly. "It's nice that he looks out for you."

The edge of Oliver's lips twitched.

"You sound jealous."

"I guess I am," Mai admitted. "I have friends and stuff that look out for me, but you have someone that's been with you for so long. He understands you really well and knows what you've both been through."

"It can be irritating, I hope you realise. I can't get rid of him."

"Would you really want to?"

"Well, when he's causing you upset I would."

"That's only temporarily though," Mai pointed out. "But I appreciate the sentiment."

"Perhaps next time he'll treat you like a normal person, but no promises, he's a bit weird."

"Isn't everyone?"

"I suppose," Oliver relented, then raised his voice. "You hear that Gene? Next time you are going to treat her like a normal person."

"Uh-huh, sure!" Gene's voice replied.

"I knew he was listening in," Oliver muttered, then raised his voice again. "Fancy going and doing something other than eavesdropping?"

"Nope, I was hoping it would get more interesting if I left the room," Gene called. "But if Mai's fanfiction is anything to go by, I think it might be more unintentional comedy than steamy romance…"

"Come on," Oliver said and indicated to a room on the other side of the main living space. "We'll sit in my room, the larger air gap will muffle our conversation."

"And any other activities!" Gene shouted.

Mai pressed her head into Oliver's chest and screwed her face up.

"He's deliberately making it awkward," Oliver said, he took Mai's hand and led to her to his bedroom. "Try to ignore him."

Considering it was a hotel bedroom, Mai thought Oliver had managed to personalise it rather well. He had a few stacks of textbooks on the desk with his laptop. There were more books on actual shelves and the odd knick-knack on the dressers. There was a sofa in the bay window with a blanket and cushions that looked a little like it had been slept in, despite the giant king-sized bed.

"Because we're staying so long, they offered to redecorate our rooms," he explained. "That's why this room is blue, instead of the usual magnolia."

"That's really nice of them," Mai said.

Oliver snorted.

"They do it for a fee."

"Oh…"

"You were right to suspect Gene was checking you weren't just a golddigger. Most people around us are. They discover we have money and… Prices go up, more services are offered… Gene's had romantic interests before that have won him over and then started asking for money. It's not like he couldn't spare the cash, but it hurt to find out they didn't actually like him."

"And he doesn't want to see the same happen to you," Mai concluded.

"Indeed." Oliver took a deep breath. "Would you like to watch something? Perhaps more of that Netflix show we watched while you were ill?"

"The Good Place?"

"Yes, I enjoyed that. It made me consider taking a Philosophy module or two."

"Really?"

Oliver began to set up the TV as Mai perched on the end of the bed.

"Yes."

"I'm surprised, I would have thought Philosophy was not definite enough for you."

Oliver smiled.

"You're correct. There is no right or wrong answer, but if I do not challenge myself to learn about these things, then I may never become comfortable with them. Besides, I am in the fortunate position that I can afford to fail the module. It does not matter in real terms if I pass or fail."

"I guess you're right," Mai mumbled. "I envy you that. I think university would be a lot more enjoyable if there were fewer real-world consequences of the result of the exams."

"Yes, and perhaps students would perform better if they were less stressed too."

"Yeah…"

"Do you want to remain perched on the end of the bed or would you like to be comfortable?" Oliver asked.

Mai shuffled a little further onto the bed. Oliver rolled his eyes.

"You can come and sit next to me if you want."

"But I'm wearing a dress."

"I don't follow."

"Well it's one of my nice ones and I don't want to get it all crumpled."

"Then take it off."

Mai's eyes widened.

"Are you trying to get me into your bed in a state of undress? What would your brother say? Perhaps instead of him worrying that I am after your money, perhaps he ought to worry you're just after my body," she teased.

"If that were the case, do you think I would have waited this long?"

"People often want what is denied to them."

Oliver smirked.

"I distinctly remember you making several inappropriate suggestions about my body," he said. "Perhaps if I stopping denying you, you'd be less interested in me…"

"I said those things while ill!" Mai protested. She reached over and poked him. "You meanie."

"You really ought to own up to your own actions."

Mai just pouted.

"Why don't you go and change into your pyjamas? I presume you bought some?"

"Of course I did!"

"Well let's both change and watch a few episodes before bed. That way you won't crumple your dress."

Mai agreed and jumped up from the bed. She reached the door before remembering something.

"Could you unzip my dress for me?"

"Of course."

Oliver stood and Mai turned so he could undo her dress. He slowly pulled the zipper down Mai's back, exposing her soft skin as he did so. She pressed the front of the dress to her chest so that it would not fall.

Transfixed by the sight of her bare back, Oliver reached out a single finger and ran it down the skin where the zip had lain only moments before. Mai shivered at his touch and half looked around at him, not quite able to make eye contact.

"Um, thank you."

She reached up and kissed his cheek before running out of the room.

Oliver pressed his fingers to the spot she had kissed. He smiled a little to himself and made to get changed.

* * *

"You'll never guess what my friend who works at the hotel told me today, Frank?"

"What did she tell you, dear?" Frank asked as he passed his wife a cup of tea and sat down.

"Well she told me about this ugly old car that appeared a while back and how they never see that sort of thing at their hotel, but her friend Chelsea who works at their sister hotel said she saw the same car!"

"I don't follow, dear."

"Well, at this other hotel, our dear Oliver and his queer brother have another suite. The owner of this car was apparently sent up to see them! According to Janine's friend, that is!"

"A friend?"

"I doubt it," Margaret muttered. "Prostitute for the queer no doubt. But it might be way in."

"Do they have the number plates? Or a description?"

"Dark green Renault Clio, but it looks bashed up, like it's been in an accident or two."

"That could be very useful indeed…"

* * *

**Author's note: Look at me actually updating on a Monday like I planned to! Life should be calming down a little now, so I hope to catch up on some writing. I've also started thinking about NaNoWriMo... Anyone got any genres/AUs they'd really like to see? Tell me in your reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

Neither of them mentioned the kiss when Mai returned in her pyjamas. Instead, they watched Netflix in silence, sat with a good few inches between them.

They watched until Mai fell asleep, her head drooping onto her shoulder. Oliver sighed, switched off Netflix and carried her to her room. Gene happened to be in the communal area as he did this and remained there until Oliver returned.

"What did you two get up to then?"

"Watched Netflix."

"And chill?"

Oliver did not deign to respond to the question.

"You heading to bed?" Gene asked.

"Yes."

"What are you doing to do with her tomorrow then? She's here for the whole day right?"

"Yes, and I don't know. If there were no fear of paparazzi, I would take her to the local sights, but I think it might be safer to stay here."

"You could take her to the spa?"

Oliver grimaced.

"You don't like it?"

"Too much touching and too high a chance of Jeffery appearing."

Gene relented.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Yes…" Oliver was about to shut his bedroom door behind him when Gene spoke again.

"The hotel gardens should be private…"

Oliver nodded and retreated for bed.

* * *

Mai woke to the sound of rain beating against the windows. She stretched and turned over, expecting a yelp.

But Luna was not there.

Mai sat up in a panic and recognised the surroundings. The hotel. Of course.

Oliver.

She checked herself. Her pyjamas were still in place. She hadn't exposed herself.

Shoulders slowly relaxing, Mai flopped back onto the bed.

A gentle knock at the door caught her attention.

"Hello?"

"May I come in?"

Mai pulled the duvet up.

"Yes?"

Oliver stuck his head through the door.

"I heard a noise, are you okay?"

Mai nodded.

"Yeah, I just forgot where I was for a moment, that's all. Is it time to get up?"

"What time do you usually rise?"

Mai shrugged.

"Whenever I need to for work I guess. Are you just going to stand there? Or do you want to come in?"

Oliver smirked.

"I fear your mental faculties might cease working if I come in…"

Mai scowled at him.

"Fine, stay there."

Oliver entered and pushed the door shut behind him. Mai pointedly did not look at his bare chest or the way his lounge pants rode low on his hips.

"The weather forecast for today is abysmal. If that had not been the case I might have taken you for a walk around the hotel gardens. We'll have to find other employment for the day…"

"I'm up for whatever, to be honest. This bed is so comfy. I'd happily stay in it all day."

"Well, you've made an excellent start on that already."

Mai frowned.

"How late is it?"

"Nearing ten."

"Shit. I did sleep in…" She cringed. "I'm sorry. Have I missed breakfast?"

"They will make you breakfast if I ask them too. What do you want?"

Mai sat up and pulled the duvet up.

"I can have anything?"

"Yes?" Oliver said with a shrug. "I think the chefs would prefer if you picked something vaguely reminiscent of breakfast but…"

"Can I have sausages in a baguette? With ketchup? And orange juice? Please?"

Oliver nodded, mentally noting the order.

"How long do you reckon it'll be? I can shower and stuff now if—"

"There is no rush. You may remain in your pyjamas if you're more comfortable."

"Okay then, I will."

She flopped sideways in a dramatic fashion and grinned at Oliver through the darkness. He rolled his eyes, but she could see him smiling.

"I'll be back soon."

He ordered her breakfast and then rejoined Mai in her bedroom. She had moved to the window.

"It really is miserable out there, huh…"

"Yes," Oliver agreed. "Quite miserable. Gene had a suggestion though; if you are up for his hijinks?"

"Oh? Go on?"

"He suggested board games."

For a moment, Oliver feared he had said something stupid as Mai's face did not react. Then she broke into the widest and most devious smile he had ever seen.

"You're going down. What are we talking? Monopoly? Cluedo? Risk?"

"I have never played any of them. But—"

"You've never played Monopoly?" Mai asked, incredulous.

"No? Our father—"

"Was a dickhead. I get it." Mai shook her head in disgust. "Okay, we'll we are rectifying this. I'm going to shower. You phone those people in reception and get them to get us the original board Monopoly, not one of the themed ones. It'll take all day."

"All day?"

"Yes, this is not a game for the faint-hearted. Right, chop-chop!"

She clapped her hands and ushered Oliver out of the room. He left with a rather confused expression.

Half an hour later, Mai tried to explain all the rules while eating her breakfast. About halfway through her explanation, Lin joined them and took over. He had played previously.

By the time Mai had finished, the twins had a basic grasp of the rules. They set the board up on the table and Mai grabbed the dog token.

Gene frowned at her.

"I'm always the dog."

He fished through the others.

"Ooh, Lin you should have the top hat," he said, handing it over. "What do you want Noll?"

"I don't care."

Gene rolled his eyes.

"Well, I want this very stylish boot. So you can be…" He rummaged a little more. "You can be the battleship."

"Fine."

"Who wants to be the banker?"

"Lin," Gene said. "I trust him not to swindle us."

"Foolish of you," Lin said, with a sly smirk. "But I will take on this responsibility."

Mai was already counting out the notes and handing them out.

"Who goes first?" Oliver asked.

"We all roll a dice and whoever rolls highest goes first."

They rolled and the game began.

* * *

"We need a story, Mads!"

Madoka sank back into her desk chair and groaned.

"Kim, I'm looking I swear. All the damn celebs are behaving."

"Celebs are never behaving. They're just getting better at hiding it." She sighed. "What we need, is one of those goody-two-shoes that are squeaky clean… We need something on one of them. That would sell mags."

The desk chair spun around; the floor was slightly wonky. Madoka found herself facing her sort-of boss.

"What about those model twins?" she suggested.

"The Griffiths brothers?" Kim scoffed. "No way, they are untouchable. Lower your sights a little."

"Why are they untouchable, though? Like… What are they hiding?"

"Everyone that has ever worked with them has given them glowing reviews. No one has ever complained about them. They don't date. They donate to charity. They're model citizens. The closest anyone came to a complaint was their manager is loud and can't hold his drink. But he's American, what American isn't loud?"

Madoka bit her lip and twirled a stray lock of pink hair around her fingers.

"What are they working on at the moment?"

"No idea. They've finished that fragrance campaign. We've got a while until Fashion Week starts. Perhaps they're on time off…"

Madoka groaned.

"Eugh. Okay, who else?"

"How about Masako Hara? She's in the UK at the moment for that film, right?"

"She's hardly squeaky clean… She's blackmailed a fair share of directors," Madoka pointed out.

"Blackmailed the perverts into giving her better roles so she doesn't expose them? In the age of #MeToo…" Kim said. "I bet she's had more than her fair share of yellow fever dickheads after her…"

"You might have a point there…" Madoka reached for her phone and began googling. "Looks like she's staying in Berkshire. I suppose I could go and take a look. Perhaps she's sworn at some hotel staff or something."

"Great. You do that. I'm gonna finish up this piece about Meghan Markle."

"Is it a fresh take or are you just rehashing all the usual racist bullshit?"

"Oh, fresh take! What do you take me for? Some sort of lazy rag mag writer?"

Madoka laughed.

"What are you doing then?"

"Talking about her charity work basically."

"Safe…"

"Yeah. But it'll sell. I'm going for a divisive 'what good has Meghan done?' title."

Madoka laughed.

"Despicable."

"Pays the bills!" Kim replied.

* * *

Stacy smiled. It was her first night on reception by herself. Finally, she had been trusted. It wasn't like her bosses thought her incapable, but it was still nice to be given the responsibility.

Perhaps this Hospitality Apprenticeship had been a good idea after all.

The lift doors opened. Stacy did not stare. She knew that this particular client was a supermodel or something. He deserved to be. He was painfully attractive. The young woman with him was cute too.

"Just admit that you lost and that I am awesome at Monopoly!" the young woman exclaimed.

"You only won because Lin had to leave and sold you all his properties at less than their real value," the supermodel retorted.

Stacy hid her smile, she could tell he was not really annoyed.

"You should have offered something better for them then!"

They walked through the foyer and towards the door to the gardens.

Stacy desperately wanted to text one of her friends and tell them not only was she looking after supermodels, but supermodels were surprisingly normal and very cute with their girlfriends. Who knew supermodels played Monopoly?

The young woman beamed at Stacy as they passed.

Stacy returned the smile and hoped her cheeks were not going too red in the process.

Within moments, she was quite alone in the entrance hall again. She shuffled some papers, refreshed the email inbox and idly wiped the desk.

Perhaps if it stayed this quiet, she could practise her French. Stacy had taken it at GCSE and when her boss insisted she learnt a language — it helped when dealing with guests — she thought French would be her best bet at not making an entire fool of herself.

Learning it now she was a little older was more fun too. In school, it had been rote learning and repetitively filling out worksheets. In her new Monday evening classes, she actually spoke with French people and could practice the language with her peers.

Plus, her fellow students were learning because they wanted to, rather than because their school had forced them.

Lost in her thoughts, Stacy almost missed the front door opening. She had to refrain from sneering when she saw who had walked in.

The middle-aged man appeared to have oil and grease covering him from head to toe. He had a tool belt around his waist and a blackened rag hanging from a pocket.

Stacy forced a smile.

"Hello, how can I help you, sir?"

"Hello, dear, I was hoping you could point me in the direction of the car park. I've been asked to repair a young lady's car while she stays here. My boss told me…" He pulled out a dirty scrap of paper from one of his pockets. "Yes, a green Renault Clio."

"Do you have the name of the owner?"

"Well, dear, I have it written down here, see?" He slapped the dirty paper onto the pristine desk. "But I'll be damned if I can read it."

"Ah, okay, well," Stacy stumbled for a solution. She was not going to make a fuss on her first night in charge. She could do this. "One moment please."

She darted around the desk and walked out of the front door, where the valet, George, stood.

"Do you know anything about a green Clio?"

"The tatty car? Yeah? What about it?" George asked.

"Could you show this repairman to it? He's been asked to fix it or something."

"Sure. Let me get the keys."

Stacy returned to her desk and began writing up a visitor pass.

"My colleague will show you down to the car park, how long do you expect to be here?"

"Perhaps an hour or so?"

"Can I see some photographic ID?"

The man fished a card out of his wallet and handed it over. Stacy took it gingerly and copied down the name: Frank Mitchell.

"Thank you very much, Mr Mitchell. Please wear this pass while you're here and leave it with me once you've finished. George will show you to the car park."

"Thank you very much, dear."

Stacy maintained her smile until Mr Mitchell had left.

* * *

**Author's note: WOO I made it in time. I'm sorry to everyone that's sending me messages, I read them on my phone and then forget to answer and at some point I will sit down and reply to everything but it probably won't be right now... Please review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Mai left the hotel after breakfast on Friday morning. Oliver did not walk her down to her car, which seemed to have been cleaned during its stay at the hotel, but kissed her cheek in farewell before she departed.

Luna meowed indignantly as Mai re-entered her own flat. As much as she liked her place, she could not help but feel it was woefully inadequate in comparison with the grandeur of Oliver's hotel suite.

She sighed. He had earnt his money. He had earnt the nice things. Yet she could not help but feel it was unfair. She worked hard too, but the scale of her job would never allow her to reach anywhere near the same level of luxury.

Mai picked up Luna, grumbled about capitalism and checked her fridge. She would have to do a food shop today.

"No time like the present, hmm?" she told Luna, who thoroughly ignored her in favour of purring at the affection Mai was giving her. She put her cat unwillingly down on the table and looked for reusable shopping bags.

Luna followed her as she potted about the house.

"I'll be back soon enough you needy thing."

Luna meowed indignantly. Mai gave her cat a final pet before leaving for the shops.

When she arrived, Mai idly picked up the usual things. She skipped aisles that she knew contained items of no use to her. Sometimes, very rarely, if she felt like perusing she would go down these useless aisles; just to see what they held.

For example, the magazine aisle. She no longer really saw much point in them. When the information they contained could be found online for free, why would she pay for a printed copy? That four quid could be another meal or two. And she appreciated food a lot more than printed gossip; especially when they never gossiped about anyone she held any interest in.

She picked up a few extra treats for Luna and got some cash out after paying. She drove home, put away her food and headed to the flat below to give Elijah — the teenager she had paid to look after Luna — a little bit of extra cash for keeping Luna alive. He was not in, but she left the money with his mother, who thanked Mai for giving her son an opportunity to be responsible for something.

"He was so good about it," Elijah's mother said with a proud smile. "He even turned down going out with his friends to make sure your cat was looked after. I think he likes her."

"I'm just grateful for the help," Mai replied. "If I go away again, I know who to ask! How is your job search going?"

Her smile dropped a little.

"Not so well. A lot of places don't want to hire a woman of my age. Especially when they find out I have a kid. I even offered to take a pay cut but… I'm sure something will come up."

"Me too, you're too skilled not to get something."

"I hope so."

* * *

Two days of hard work later and Mai found herself slumped on her bed, pretending to watch something on Netflix. In reality, she was scrolling down her phone and trying to ignore the guilt in her stomach at the fact she had not written a single word of her story in two weeks.

Her eyes had just started to close when her phone vibrated violently. She startled, then relaxed and opened the text message.

**From Keiko: Shopping tomorrow with Mich! No excuses!**

**To Keiko: What? Why?**

**From Keiko: Because I haven't seen you in a century and we all have the day off tomorrow!**

**To Keiko: How do you know I have the day off tomorrow? Are you stalking me?**

**From Keiko: Lol, maybe! I phoned your store yesterday and asked ;)**

**To Keiko: Creep. What time?**

They hashed out the details. Mai switched off her laptop. She flicked her bedside lamp off and curled up to sleep with Luna perched on her legs.

She woke the next morning to a text from Oliver.

**From Oliver: Are you working today?**

**To Oliver: Nope.**

**From Oliver: Shame, I have a day trip to Paris. I was hoping to see you.**

**To: Oliver: Sorry!**

Mai dressed, ate her breakfast and drove to the shopping centre that she had agreed to meet Keiko and Michiru at. She found a cafe and set up her laptop to write while she waited for them. They were not due for another few hours and the guilt of the previous evening had prompted her into doing something.

Her two friends arrived just before lunch.

"How long have you been here?" Michiru asked, reading over her shoulder. "And is that smut?"

"What? No! They just kissed, that's all!"

Keiko swooped down to take a look.

"That looks like a very passionate kiss," she teased.

Mai slammed her laptop shut and put it away.

"I thought you said you were going to buy us lunch," Mai prompted Keiko quickly.

"Uh-huh, sure, what do you want?" Keiko asked, still smiling at Mai's embarrassment.

"Ham and cheese panini," Mai replied.

"I'll have the same unless they have any of those bacon and brie ones," Michiru piped up. She saw down next to her friend.

"Great," Keiko said, dumping her bag on the remaining free chair and heading off to join the back of the queue.

"Mai, I have to show you something!" Michiru rummaged through her bag and produced a tatty magazine.

"In one of those rag mags?" Mai asked sceptically. "I doubt anything in there is going to be of interest to—"

"Oh stop being such a snob, I promise you're going to want to see this. It's about the film of that book you love so much."

Mai frowned.

"Disgrace and Deception?"

"Yeah that's the one," Michiru said as she flicked through the pages. "Where was it…? Eugh, basically some reporter managed to sneak on set and got some exclusive photos!"

"Really?" Mai's previous reluctance had vanished. "Photos of what?"

"Well, everyone knows Masako Hara is in it right? So they got some pictures of her in her costumes, and more importantly— Ha! Here it is! They got some pictures of the male lead. They aren't great photos but they've got a couple of suggestions on who the lead might be."

Michiru handed over the magazine at the allotted page and Mai devoured the words.

"The dresses are so pretty, aren't they?"

Mai ignored Michiru's question, she was already examining the picture of Masako Hara and a tall dark-haired man. His face was obscured by the angle and a bit of tree. But that had not stopped the author — a one Madoka Mori — from guessing who he could be.

She turned over the page to see four faces staring back at her. The first was some British actor who Mai vaguely recognised from something. The second was an unknown.

The third and fourth shared a picture that made Mai's blood run cold.

"I wasn't that keen on the book, you know? But if any of these guys are in it I will definitely come and see it with you."

Mai's mouth went dry as she read the names for the final pair. There was no mistake.

_Oliver and Eugene Griffiths, well-known supermodels who have worked all over the world for every respectable fashion house. There have been rumours for years that these two hotties would move into acting; is Disgrace and Deception their first jaunt? Although many films use a single actor to play twins, this particular story would allow both young men to try their hand!_

She had never asked for his real surname. She shivered.

"Mai? Are you okay?"

"Can I keep this to read?" Mai replied in barely a whisper.

"Sure?"

"I have to go."

"What? But we haven't even eaten yet?"

"I have to go," Mai repeated. "I'm sorry, I'll explain later. I just… I have to go."

Mai picked up her bag and ran from the cafe. She ran all the way to her car, clutching the magazine in one hand. She unlocked the vehicle and climbed inside. The moment the car door shut, she wailed.

She hit the steering wheel in anguish.

"How could I be so stupid? He lied!"

Tears streamed down her face and her body ached with the truth of it all.

Conscious that Michiru and Keiko might have attempted to follow her, Mai started the engine and wiped her face. She had no desire to face them right now.

Despite tear-filled eyes, she drove home. She slammed her front door behind her and threw herself on her bed. Luna joined her and Mai scooped the cat up for a hug. Luna licked Mai's face and permitted the strangely tight contact.

When she ran out of tears, Mai looked at the magazine once more. Never before had she hated her favourite book so much. How could he…

She opened up her laptop and a new tab to search for his name.

There were biographies, fan pages and a Wikipedia article about Oliver and his brother. Mai scrolled through pictures of every photoshoot he had ever done.

He wasn't just a model. He was a famous supermodel. The way he was written about implied that the average person on the street would have heard his name.

And somehow she did not. She had not recognised him. No wonder he had been wearing sunglasses when they first met…

* * *

"So this next scene is with your mother," Gene prompted over the low rumble of the private plane. "Would you like me to do a voice for her?"

"No. I do not want to practice any more."

"But you have this scene tomorrow?"

"So do you, why don't you practice your own lines?" Oliver muttered.

Gene frowned.

"What's got your wand in a twist?"

"I need to tell Mai. I want to do it tomorrow. I'm going to go and see her before we film."

"Will you have time?"

"I don't care. They will wait for me. Now we've started filming… There's a chance they'll do promotional work. I don't want her finding out from anyone else than me. I do not want to lose her."

Gene remained silent for a minute.

"You really do like her, don't you? How long have you known her? A month or two?"

"Perhaps. Our first few meetings were quite sparse." Oliver looked out of the window of the plane. "I kissed her. She… She likes me for me. She does not want me because of my job."

"Unless she knows and it's all an act."

Oliver looked around so fast at his brother that he cricked his neck. He rubbed it as he responded.

"You think she's acting?"

"No, I don't."

"Then why would you say that?" Oliver asked, annoyed. "Can you not just be happy for me? You sound like a brat."

Gene looked down in shame.

"I'm sorry. I… This is going to sound ridiculous. I am a bit jealous. It's always been me going off with people and you've always been my constant. But now you're seeing people. You're going off with people."

"A single person."

"You know what I mean," Gene muttered. "On the one hand, I'm happy that you've found someone. But also, I'm scared you'll spend more time with her than me."

"You're a grown man."

"And you're my best friend."

Oliver rolled his eyes.

"I will still spend time with you," Oliver promised. "Besides, there is a good chance she won't want to see me again after I confess."

"I'm sure she will," Gene replied. "She'll be a bit mad, but I think it'll be okay if it comes from you."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

Frank checked the screen of his phone. The GPS tracker he had placed on the car had been constant at this address for the best part of the day. He yawned. It was late, but for what he was about to do, it would be too dangerous to do things during the day.

He pulled on gloves, checked his pockets and climbed out of the car. He locked his vehicle and strode up to the apartment block. The front door was broken, the latch never caught. He had noticed this earlier in the day.

Not that that mattered of course. When the valet had shown him to the car, he had been left with the owner's keys. He now had duplicates of the building key, flat key and car key, as well as a few others.

He entered the building and looked to the letterboxes on his right. They were named. He found the one he wanted and checked the flat number. Frank started up the stairs to the second floor.

He pulled out the duplicate key and inserted it into the lock. It was a little stiff, the duplicate was not quite perfect. But it worked.

There was no stirring from inside. He did not expect there to be. It was very late after all.

Not wanting to turn the main light on, Frank pulled out a small torch. Its dim light lit enough of the flat for him to navigate. He opened the bedroom door to see the sleeping woman.

A cat perched on the bed opened its eyes at the light and hissed at him. He ignored it. Putting the torch in his mouth, he opened a bottle and poured something on a handkerchief. Frank tiptoed around the side of the bed and covered the woman's mouth with the cloth.

She woke and tried to move away in confusion. He held her down with a single hand on her chest and the other still pressing the cloth over her mouth and nose. He dropped the torch in the struggle. Her arms flailed and tried to push him away.

It felt like an age, but in reality, it was only a few minutes before she stopped struggling. Frank waited another thirty seconds before pocketing the cloth. He turned on the bedroom light. The cat hissed at him again but ran away as he approached it.

He wrapped the young woman in a blanket and picked her up bridal style. He carried her through the apartment, only remembering as he reached the door to leave the letter his wife had crafted. He placed it clumsily on the table before carrying his charge down to his car.

The cat wailed for a long time after he had driven off, but the occupants of the building were all fast asleep and eventually, the cat slept too.

* * *

**Author's note: so this is the shittest chapter ever and i am busy and depressed and struggling and changing my medication and you guys probably won't get another chapter for two to three weeks because I'm moving and stuff... Sorry**


	10. Chapter 10

"I think you're being a little ridiculous."

"You would," Oliver muttered. "I did not ask you to come with me."

"I am required by contract to remain—"

"I know," Oliver said, rolling his eyes.

The automatic doors permitted him entry to the airport and he strode through them without delay. Mai had not been at home. She had not answered his messages.

And as he rounded the corner to the cafe, Oliver realised she was not here either.

He frowned and walked up to the bar anyway.

"Where is Mai?" he asked Sarah.

"I wish I knew," Sarah muttered. "She just didn't turn up for her shift today. She didn't respond to any of my phone calls either. I managed to call in someone else but jeesh, she could have given me some warning."

Oliver frowned.

"Maybe she's avoiding you," Gene suggested.

Oliver glared at his twin.

"What?" Gene asked innocently.

"I'm going back to her apartment."

"But she didn't answer when we—"

"Maybe she has returned from wherever she was now."

Gene sighed, but relented. Oliver turned back to Sarah.

"If you hear from her, please tell her to contact me."

"Will do," Sarah promised. "Likewise. I want to chew her out for abandoning me. Phone this number."

She scribbled something on a post-it note and handed it over. Oliver nodded and pocketed it.

The twins left the airport — despite only being there a matter of minutes — and Oliver drove them back to Mai's apartment.

Once again, Oliver rung Mai's doorbell and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And—

Gene pressed the doorbell again, for longer and with more force.

"Pressing the button harder does not—"

"Just in case!" Gene interrupted with a shrug. "Maybe it's glitchy. Let's face it, this isn't the nicest part of town and I wouldn't be surprised if it did not work."

Oliver could not answer back to that. The area in which Mai lived was a little run down.

They continued to wait.

"I don't think she's in, Noll. Maybe she just went out without her phone. Or maybe she's asleep and the doorbell is broken. There are a lot of perfectly legitimate reasons why she's not getting in contact with you right now."

Oliver pressed the doorbell one more time. He frowned.

"Something feels wrong," he mumbled.

"I'm sure she'll get back to you. Maybe her phone is broken."

Oliver nodded.

"Fine, let's go."

* * *

"Oww…"

Mai clutched her throbbing head. She felt a bruise on her forehead. She winced in pain as she poked it.

"Poking it makes it hurt," she mumbled to herself.

Green.

Her bedding wasn't green. Why was it green?

It wasn't a _nice_ green either. She would not pick this. Who would pick a snot coloured bedsheet? It reminded her of avocado bathrooms from the seventies.

Mai sat up and appraised the rest of her surroundings. She did not recognise them. For a brief moment, she wondered if she had been out with Oliver the previous night and gotten very drunk.

Then she remembered she was pissed at him.

And that he would never stay in somewhere that looked like a basement out of a horror film. No. He was a supermodel and soon to be a movie star. The git. How dare—

That was beside the point.

He was not here. And she was.

What was _she_ doing in a basement?

Mai had no clue. She checked her pockets for her phone. But it was nowhere to be seen. She frowned and made her way to the only apparent exit.

She wasn't particularly surprised when the door did not open. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. Still no luck.

"Well fuck."

Mai spun around and searched the rest of the room, slowly coming to terms with the fact that she had been kidnapped and could not escape.

The breeze block walls had been painted in magnolia and reminded Mai vividly of her university halls. The only other thing in the room was a bucket next to a pack of toilet roll.

She grimaced.

Who kidnapped her? Who on earth would want to kidnap _her_ of all people? She was a nobody! Mai racked her brains and tried to think of a customer she had wronged or…

She swore again.

"That arsehole. It's because of him, isn't it?"

She rounded on the door again and began hammering on it with her fists.

"I don't know why you've got me here but it won't help you get to him! I hate him!" she yelled. "Oi! Let me out!"

She kicked the door for good measure. It didn't budge.

"Sit on the bed!" a voice shouted back.

"What?"

"Sit on the bed!" the voice repeated. Mai suspected it was male.

"Why?"

"Because otherwise, you won't get any food."

Mai frowned, but complied.

"Okay? I'm sat on the bed," she called.

A click and the door unlocked. A middle-aged man entered. He was greying and balding and plump. He was balancing a tray on one hand.

"There we go," he said, handing it over. He shut the door behind him.

Mai took the tray. There was a paper plate with cucumber sandwiches cut into triangles and some carrot sticks.

"Thanks?"

The man beamed.

"Um, not to be rude, but why am I here?"

The man's smile fell a little.

"We've just got to hold onto you until your friend arrives. Once he turns up and gives us what we want, then you'll be free to go."

"He's not going to come for me," Mai said. "We're not friends any more. I officially hate him. He's an arse."

The man gave her a pitying stare.

"You see, that might be true for you, but that does not mean it'll be true for him."

Mai opened her mouth to argue, before realising she had not got around to telling Oliver she thought he was an arse. He still thought they were friends. Maybe more than friends.

She cringed at the idea.

"Don't worry, we'll look after you. I'm sure he'll be along in no time."

"Can I at least have my phone?"

"Well—"

"Just so I can tell my work I can't come in?" Mai pleaded. "And you know, I could text him to hurry up…?"

The man bit his lip.

"You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you might also phone the police. And that would somewhat ruin our plans. Don't worry. He'll find my note and be along in no time, I'm sure."

The man smiled reassuringly and before Mai could argue again, he darted out of the room and she heard the door lock.

"Fuck."

She picked at the sandwiches and the carrot sticks. Now the food was in front of her, she realised just how hungry she was. Without a window, it was hard to know the time of day.

How long had she been asleep for?

Had it even been sleep? It can't have been. She would have noticed. That man must have knocked her out. That would be why her head hurt so much…

But how… When…

She remembered meeting with her friends.

She remembered going home.

She remembered getting ready for bed.

But nothing beyond that. This led Mai to the conclusion that it had either been early the next morning, on her way to work. Or worse… That that man had somehow entered her flat…

She shivered at the very thought.

He had looked harmless enough. The sort of man you would pass in the street without a second thought. Like the sort of man you would see standing at the edge of a park watching over his kids. Generic family man.

Not the sort of person who would kidnap someone…

Mai mentally berated herself for allowing appearances to cloud her judgement. She should know better.

She finished the food.

What did this man and his accomplice — for his language implied he had one — want from Oliver though?

Her first thought was money. That was the obvious thing. Yet something about the man's manner made her think it was not money…

Mai took a deep breath. She needed a plan. All she had to do was charge him next time he opened the door and run and escape…

How hard could it be, right?

* * *

**Author's note: I have not abandoned this story. I am very mentally ill and really, really struggling with just about everything right now. I could do with lots of lovely enthusiastic reviews. I will finish this story.**


	11. Chapter 11

The next time Oliver visited Mai's apartment; he went alone. It had been two days and he still had not heard a word from her, and neither had Sarah.

Gene was convinced that Oliver had

pissed Mai off somehow.

Oliver was convinced that something far more concerning had happened.

He managed to enter the apartment block as someone else left. He climbed the stairs three at a time and banged on Mai's door as soon as he could reach it.

There was no reply.

He hammered his fist onto the door again.

"Mai? Mai, answer the door."

A quiet meow permeated the crack between the door and the frame.

"Luna? Go and get Mai."

"Sir…?"

Oliver spun around to see a teenage boy wearing a scruffy school uniform.

"What?"

"I have a spare key to Mai's apartment. I feed Luna sometimes. We haven't seen Mai in a few days but—"

"Open the door," Oliver ordered. "Now."

The teenager scrambled to pull his set of keys from his pocket and open the door. Luna was waiting to greet them with loud and hungry whine.

"Feed the cat," Oliver said to the boy, who jumped to do as he was told.

He looked around. Nothing appeared out of place. At least, nothing appeared out of place from what he could remember…

"Does anything look different to you?" he asked the boy.

"Uhh…" He stopped pouring out cat biscuits and looked around. "No…?"

Oliver rolled his eyes and headed into the bedroom. The bed had not been made. It appeared to have been slept in. A reasonable number of cat hairs had accumulated on the bedsheet next to Mai's pillow; Luna had been sleeping there.

So, Mai had been gone long enough for Luna to take a nap.

That did not narrow down anything.

"Uhh, Mister?" The teenager was standing in the doorway.

"What?"

"What's your name?"

Oliver frowned momentarily. Then answered. It wasn't entirely unsurprising that a teenage boy didn't know who he was.

"Oliver."

"There's a letter for you."

The boy held out an envelope with Oliver's name written on it.

"Where was it?"

"On the kitchen counter. It's not Mai's writing."

Oliver took it from him and ripped it open. The letter inside read:

_Dear Oliver,_

_Come alone and tell no one. We have your friend. We'll release her when we have what we want._

At the bottom was an address.

"What does it say?"

"What's your name?" Oliver asked, ignoring the boy's question.

"Elijah."

"Elijah, great, keep the key you have and keep feeding Luna. Mai, pays you right?" Oliver pulled his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a few notes. He pressed the money into the teenager's hands. "This should keep you going until—"

"I can't take this much!"

"I don't have time to argue with you. This letter has Mai's location. I need to go to her. Look after the cat."

Oliver left without a backwards glance.

* * *

The last thing Madoka expected to see on her drive to work was Oliver Griffiths walking out of a run-down apartment and climbing into a hire car. She knew it to be Oliver — and not Eugene — because he was scowling.

What on earth was he doing in a place like this? Even Madoka, with her measly salary, could afford to live in a nicer area than this.

She did a U-turn, and began to follow the hire car. He drove like he was in a hurry, Madoka thought, but she would be in a hurry to get out of here.

It was unlike one of the Griffiths brothers to be without their bodyguard.

She followed for quite some time, almost half an hour. Eventually, the hire car pulled into the driveway to a warehouse. Madoka drove on and pulled into the next entrance. She grabbed her camera and abandoned her car behind a skip. Sneaking up to the fence line, she soon spotted Griffiths waiting by his hire car. He was looking around and checking his phone every few seconds.

Madoka pulled out her own phone and messaged Kim with where she was and what had happened so far.

Ten minutes passed.

Another car, the sort you'd expect an average family with two kids to own, parked up by the hire car. Madoka raised her camera and began to snap.

A man climbed out of the car and looked around. He smiled awkwardly at Oliver Griffiths. He offered a hand that the model refused to shake.

Madoka's mind was running wild. What was going on? Whatever it was, it looked sketchy. She grinned. Finally, the perfect Griffiths twins were not so perfect.

She expected some kind of handover. A package. Money in a briefcase.

But there was nothing.

She continued to take pictures as Griffiths threw his phone back into the hire car. The other man then bound Griffiths's hands together with duct tape. Griffiths then got willingly into the other man's car and they drove off.

Madoka swore. She would never make it to her car in time to follow them. But Griffiths had left his phone.

That would be worth more to her than gold dust.

She drove around and searched the hire car. She found the phone easily. It sat on the driver's seat. Madoka pocketed it and looked for anything else that could be of value to her. But there was nothing obvious.

She returned to her own car and uploaded the photos from her camera, via her phone, to the company's shared cloud storage. After another message to Kim to start writing the article, Madoka hit the road; it was time to get back to the office.

* * *

Lin frowned as he read the number of the caller ringing his phone. He did not recognise it. He swiped to answer in a reluctant manner.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Lin? Is that you? I've been trying to get hold of Gene but he won't answer. Have you seen the pictures yet?"

Lin recognised the voice as that of Yasuhara, the lawyer.

"The twins are both still sleeping. They had a night shoot last night."

"Have you seen the photos?"

"What photos?" Lin asked.

"Get on Twitter. One of them has had pictures taken of them and… Well, I don't know, the theories are rife."

Lin put Yasuhara on speakerphone and opened up Twitter. He ignored his usual feed and checked the trending tags. The photos to which Yasuhara referred was top of the list.

"What on earth…"

Lin left his own room and barged into Gene's room. The young man jumped awake at the sound.

"Lin? What's wrong?"

Lin ignored him and headed for Oliver's room. It was empty.

"Fuck."

"I can start looking into ways of getting the picture taken down," Yasuhara's voice said from the phone, "but now that is it up, it'll be hard to squash the rumours."

"Lin? What's going on?" Gene had followed Lin into Oliver's room. "Where's Noll?"

Lin answered by showing Gene the photos.

"Why…? Why is he in a random car with… Who is that? Why are Noll's hands bound?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. He must have left before I was up," Lin muttered.

"Do you want me to try and squash the rumours or—"

"No, find out who took those photos and where. I'm going to check his phone's location."

"Osamu?" Gene mumbled. "What are—"

"He contacted me about the photos in the first place," Lin explained. "Do what you can Yasuhara." He hung up the call. "Go and get dressed. We need to find your brother."

"But why would he go willingly?"

"I can only imagine this other person is blackmailing him somehow. I only wish the photos had shown this other person's face. From what we can see, I'd suggest an older white man, but that doesn't exactly narrow it down."

Gene ran his hands through his hair.

"But what would they blackmail him over? Noll is squeaky clean?" Gene's face dropped. "It's got to be over her… It's about Mai, isn't it?"

Lin pondered the suggestion for a moment.

"It's the only thing that makes sense."

* * *

**Author's note: So I haven't died of coronavirus or suicidal thoughts. This is short, but it was the right place to end it. Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

The door opened and the last person Mai expected to see walked through.

"What the fuck are you doing here."

She meant it to sound like a question. The door shut behind him.

"Can you untie me?" Oliver asked, holding up his taped hands.

"Where are the police?" Mai asked, ignoring his question. "How on earth were you stupid enough to come here without the police?"

Oliver scowled and looked away.

"They were threatening to harm you if I did not do as they said."

"So? They think I'm the only way to get what they want! They won't hurt me!"

"And how was I supposed to know that?" Oliver spat. "Now untie me."

Mai narrowed her eyes and made no move to untie him.

"How were you supposed to know that? Because it's bloody obvious! That's why! You're just being a stubborn arse that thinks he has to do everything himself!"

"I do not think that—"

"Then where are the police? Hmm?" Mai turned away from him and softened her voice. "Why didn't you tell me who you were?"

Oliver looked taken aback.

"You know… How? Who told you?"

"Who told me? I saw your face in a bloody magazine! In an article about the movie adaptation of my favourite fucking book!"

"I… I didn't want you to find out this way."

"Yeah, you'd just have me run around like an idiot! You lied to me..." Mai looked away, disgusted with herself. She walked up to Oliver, ripped the tape from his hands and stalked back to the bed. "When we're out of here, I never want to see you again."

"I did not lie to you, I just did not tell you the entire truth. I have been wrestling for weeks on how to tell you," Oliver stated. "No one treats me the way you did. You treated me like a normal person… I enjoyed that you did not know who I was, because it meant you got to know me."

Mai did not respond.

"Mai… Please."

"You lied to me for months! Do you realise how stupid I feel?"

"No, I don't. I need you to understand that people—"

"Treat you differently because you have money. Big deal. People treat me differently because I'm just a vessel that makes them coffee. A subhuman plebian to serve them. People treat me differently because I'm not white. People treat me differently because I'm female! You're not the only person that gets treated differently!"

Mai did not realise until she ran out of words how much her voice had escalated.

"And your experiences invalidates mine? Do they?" Oliver retorted.

"People worship the ground you walk on!"

"And do you realise how isolating that is?"

"You have your brother! You have Lin! You're not alone!"

"What? And you don't have friends?"

Mai opened her mouth to shout something back, but the door opened and silenced her.

"Is everything okay in here?"

It was the man.

"Does it look like everything is okay in here?" Mai retorted. "You've got him now. Let me leave."

The man looked sympathetic.

"I can't do that."

Mai growled. She sprinted for the door. The man was too slow to stop her.

But the barrel of an air rifle was.

Mai had no sooner escaped the confines of the room when she fell backwards onto the floor as a woman had an air rifle aimed at her chest.

"Hello dear, why don't you return to your room?" she suggested.

"Margaret?" the man poked his head out of the door.

"Just getting this little—" She pursed her lips as if physically holding back the insult. "This young lady back into her room. Go on, girl."

Mai scrambled to her feet and returned to the room she had been trapped in. The barrel of the air rifle followed her.

"Why don't you both take a seat," Margaret said. "Frank, be a dear and get the door."

The man, Frank presumably, shut the door.

Mai sat down at one end of the bed she had been sleeping on. Oliver took the other end. Mai refused to look at Oliver as he spoke.

"What do you want? Money? If you give me your bank details I will transfer any sum. Let Mai go. She means nothing to me any more."

Mai broke her resolve to ignore him immediately to glare at Oliver, open-mouthed.

"It is not money we want," Margaret said, as if offended by the suggestion. "It's something far more important."

"Go on?"

"We need a sperm donor."

Mai looked from Oliver to Margaret and burst out laughing.

"You mean to tell me," Mai said, "that you want him to be your sperm donor?" She cackled and fell back onto the bed. "This is the most fucked up shit I have ever heard. What even is my life…"

"Frank, be a dear and fetch the duct tape."

Frank left the room.

"I will not do it," Oliver stated.

Margaret frowned.

"You are capable, aren't you? I know your brother is a filthy queer but—"

"You know insulting his brother really isn't going to get him to help you," Mai pointed out, sitting up. "He's already said he doesn't give a shit about me—"

"Frank! Hurry up! This bitch is pissing me off."

"I'm just speaking the truth," Mai muttered, throwing her hands up. "I mean—"

Margaret aimed the air rifle at Mai and pulled the trigger before anyone else could react.

"Fuck!" Mai gripped her leg where the pellet had torn through her flesh. "Ow fuck that hurts. Oww fuck."

"Shut up or I'll aim for your face."

Mai shut up.

Frank returned, duct tape in hand.

"Tape her mouth up."

"What happened to her leg?"

"She wouldn't shut up."

"Margaret! We said we weren't going to hurt her!"

"You said that because you're soft on her," Margaret accused. "Now tape up her mouth."

Frank frowned but did as he was told.

"Now, where were we?" Margaret asked Oliver, then answered her own question. "Oh yes, you were saying you wouldn't comply with my wishes."

"No. I won't," Oliver stated. "And I can't believe you would ask something like this without allowing me to consult with my lawyer."

Margaret appeared genuinely taken aback by this.

"Your lawyer?"

"Well, let's imagine I give you a donation. What is to stop you from trying to claim child support off of me later? I have no desire to be a part of your child's life." Oliver rolled his eyes for effect. "Even if I were to consider this, I would want a contract drawn up for the exchange. And for that, I need my lawyer."

"Well, you were right honey, he is smart," Frank said. He patted his wife on the arm. "Perhaps we should go and have a chat about this?"

"Yes, perhaps we should."

"And if you expect my cooperation, I don't want to be stuck in a room with someone who is bleeding out. Either provide us with a first aid kit or allow me to stay in another room," Oliver muttered. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and withdrew a card from it. "This is my lawyer's contact details if you need them. Which, I suspect you will if you want to do this properly."

"We'll have a chat," Frank repeated, taking the card and ushering his wife out of the door.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Mai ripped the duct tape from her mouth.

"Fuck," she muttered as she grabbed the sheet from the bed and proceeded to rip a strip of fabric off. She used it to stem the blood. "Did they remember to lock the door?"

"What?"

"I didn't hear it click," Mai said. "Can you check it?"

Oliver duly checked it.

"It's locked."

"Fuck."

* * *

Yasuhara strode into the hotel suite and dumped his bag down next to the table.

"So do you want the good news or the bad news?" he asked Gene, who had looked up upon his entrance.

"Both?"

"I found out who took the pictures," he said. "But I can't get hold of them."

"Who took the pictures?" Lin asked as he joined them.

"Madoka Mori, she's a journalist for some rag magazine. The phone line for her office just goes to voicemail and so I tried to DM her on Twitter and she told me I was not the first person claiming to be a representative for the twins."

Gene swore. Lin, however, looked a little more hopeful.

"Madoka Mori?" he repeated. "Do you have a picture of her?"

Yasuhara frowned but nodded.

"Let me find her Twitter again… Here, here it is."

"I know her," Lin said. "Well, knew her to be more precise."

"You what?" Gene exclaimed. "You know a pap?"

"Well, I didn't know she was a pap! She was still a student when we were friends."

"How do you know her?" Yasuhara asked, arms crossed over his chest. "Have you been leaking—"

"I haven't spoken to her in years," Lin said quickly. "We dated in university and broke up when we realised a long-distance relationship wasn't going to work out for us."

"Do you have her number?"

Lin pulled out his phone and checked.

"I have a number for her, whether she still uses it… Well, we'll have to see…"

He dialled the number and put it on speaker.

"Hello? Lin? Is that you?"

"Hey, Mads, we need to talk," Lin answered.

"Now is not really a great time, I'm at work. Can I call you—"

"Sorry to interrupt, I'm Eugene Griffiths and I need you to tell me where my brother is."

* * *

Madoka almost screamed. She had _EUGENE GRIFFITHS_ on the phone with her right now. At first, she did not believe her ears, but it sounded just like him.

"I don't know where he is, I didn't manage to follow them," she blurted.

"Can you take us to the site where he was taken?" Lin asked.

"Accept the video call, I need to know this is real," Madoka instructed as she clicked the video call button. They accepted. There were three men on her phone; Lin, Eugene Griffiths and some other man. "Well fuck."

"Give us the location."

"I want something in return," Madoka said quickly.

"My brother has been kidnapped and you want something in return? Lin, what did you see in this woman."

"Let me come along," she said. "Let me tell the story. It's out there already now, but—"

"Fine," Eugene spat. "But if I see anything else posted from you or your company from now on that has not been approved by us, I will sue you for everything you're worth and more. How you could watch a kidnapping and not go to the police…"

"I'll message you the address."

Madoka hung up, her heart racing. They thought it was a kidnapping. A kidnapping! Now she thought about it, it made sense. Why else would this man allow himself to be taped up and taken away?

But why did they want to kidnap him…

"I've got a lead," she muttered to Kim on her way out. "I'll be back soon."

Kim merely nodded and continued writing. Madoka hurried to her car, typing out the location as she went.

They arrived more or less at the same time. Madoka climbed out of her car and waved at the three men to beckon them over.

"I was over there," she said, pointing. "So I could take the photos without being noticed."

Lin began searching the hire car.

"It's empty," Madoka said. "I've already searched it."

"So you watching a kidnapping occur without informing the police, and then you desecrated a crime scene?" the man that Madoka did not know said. "I'm their lawyer, by the way, you ignored my attempts to contact you."

"I had no reason to listen to any of those attempts, a lot of other paps pretend to be lawyers to get information," she muttered. "The only thing inside that car was his phone."

"Where is his phone?" Eugene asked.

"Here," Madoka held it out. "I didn't manage to get into it."

Eugene walked over and snatched it from her hand, he unlocked it and looked through the open apps.

"He took a picture of the note telling him to come here," Eugene said. "This is no help."

"Excuse me a moment, I seem to be getting a phone call from an unknown number," the third man said.

He walked away.

"What's his name?" Madoka asked. "No one introduced me."

"Yasuhara," Lin stated. "He's their lawyer and a bloody good one at that."

"You don't need to threaten me," Madoka said.

Eugene walked away from them, still searching the phone.

"I didn't realise this is what had become of you," Lin said. "I thought you wanted to change the world with journalism."

Madoka let out a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, when I was young and naive. No one would take me, so I took the work I could get."

Lin looked away.

Yasuhara walked back over, a frown adorning his face.

"I've just had the weirdest phonecall. This man wants me to check over a contract for him."

"How is that weird?" Lin asked. "Isn't that what you do?"

"Yes, but I'm not a family lawyer, this was a family matter. Like, I'm trained in it, I can do it, but it is not my speciality. Yet he says I was recommended to him by one of my current clients."

"So?"

"So, my current clients are the twins, and some foreign businessmen moving into the UK wine market. Even other recent clients… I have not done this sort of work for any of them. Unless…"

A vibration cut of Yasuhara's thought train. He looked down at his phone.

"Unless?" Lin prompted.

"Hang on, they've emailed the contract over. Throwaway email account by the looks of it. Hmm," Yasuhara scanned over the contract, "they've found a standard online template."

"What's it for?" Madoka asked.

"Sperm donation."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Eugene walked back over.

"What's going on?"

"Yasuhara got a weird phone call."

"Was it from Noll?" he asked.

"Unless your brother has secret plans to become a sperm donor, I don't think so."

"Then it doesn't matter. It can wait. I think we should go down the road and locate the CCTV cameras, we can find cars on the CCTV that match the description and once we have a number plate we can go to the police. At the moment, we have nothing to prove he didn't go willingly..."

"A number plate won't change that," Lin said.

"No, but we can start building the case. Perhaps we can find out who owns the car somehow?"

"The police won't tell us that," Madoka said. "But it's a good place to start.


	13. Chapter 13

An hour or so after the couple left, the door opened and a bag was dropped through before the door was shut again.

Oliver stood up from the bed and rummaged through it. He pulled out kitchen roll and tape.

"They call this a first aid kid?"

Mai lifted the ripped bedsheet from her wound.

"The blood has basically stopped," she muttered. "They needn't've bothered."

Oliver returned the items to the bag and brought it back with him as he sat down on the bed again.

"Mai, I did not mean for you to find out like this," he said quietly. "I was too busy enjoying your company… I have no good excuse. Once we have gotten out of this mess, I will not burden you with my company, and I will pay for any treatment you require as a result of it."

"I don't want your money," Mai said. She did not speak for a few minutes, letting the uncomfortable silence sit between them. "They broke into my home."

"Luna is fine, I entrusted her to the care of your downstairs neighbour."

"That's not it, Oliver. How can I go home knowing that someone got in? How can I go to sleep again knowing someone might take me away again…" She swallowed. "No one would miss me."

"Your work colleague noticed," Oliver said. "I went to your work when you stopped answering your phone, and your door… She was concerned for you."

"Concerned because she had to run the shift alone."

"She found cover."

Mai laughed bitterly.

"I… I missed you."

"Yes, but you lied to me for months. Do you see why I am having trust issues?" She sighed. "Perhaps Yasuhara will let me stay with him. I know Mich and Keiko don't have the room…"

"Ah, that's the other thing I need to tell you."

"What?"

"I know Yasuhara. I did not realise it at first, but he is the lawyer my brother hired to get us out of a contract…"

"Well fuck. That really does round it off, doesn't it… He fancies your brother, you know?"

"Yes, I had picked up on that. He had also warned me that I should have told you sooner."

"You should have listened."

"I gave them his card," he said, nodding upwards. "I'm hoping they'll contact him and give something away. I'm hoping they'll notice that I've gone missing…"

Mai laughed again.

"Yeah, they'll notice you're gone. What if you don't show up to film, huh? I bet it'll be all over the press."

"I will do my best to keep you out of that mess. You do not want the press in your life…"

"How much do you pay your bodyguard?" Mai asked.

"Lin?" Oliver shrugged. "I don't know the exact details, a couple of thousand I think."

"For the year?" Mai asked, surprised.

"No, couple of thousand a day."

"Are all bodyguards that expensive?"

"No, I think you can hire someone for a couple of hundred for the day, but quality varies."

Mai bit her lip and shifted on the bed. She winced as a searing pain shot up her leg.

"Why do you ask?"

"If I can't afford to move. I don't have room for a roommate. I was considering hiring a bodyguard."

"If you really feel that unsafe in your own home, the police can provide security, like witness protection or something."

There was another long uncomfortable silence.

"Perhaps I ought to agree to their terms."

"What?"

"If I agree to what they want, they might let me out of this room. If I can get out of this room, I might be able to get to a phone… Or out of here to get help."

"Will you do it?" Mai asked, her tone neutral.

"Give them a child? No, I would rather not. If it got out they had my kid, I can imagine that the press would make that kid's life hell."

"I love that that is your first concern and not the fact that that woman is clearly unhinged."

"I was putting that aside," Oliver said.

Mai laughed in spite of herself.

"This is ridiculous," she mumbled. "It's like something out of a book. This doesn't happen to normal people…"

"You're not normal, Mai."

She pouted at him.

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not," he insisted. "A normal person would not have bothered speaking with me when I first came to your cafe. You would not have even served me…"

"I think you're too harsh on normal people," she muttered.

"I think you're too naive about how horrible people can be…"

"I guess that's why I didn't think you were lying to me."

Oliver did not argue against this. There was no point.

"How is your leg?"

"Painful."

"But there is no more bleeding?"

"No…"

"Do they bring us food?" he asked.

"They have done so far. I don't know what time, I don't have a watch."

* * *

The only business on the road leading away from the site of Oliver's kidnapping that was willing to assist with allowing them to look at their CCTV came up blank.

They thanked the business owner for their time and left.

"You may as well come back with us," Gene muttered to Madoka. "Lin, drive with her and we'll see you back at the hotel."

Lin nodded and followed Madoka back to her car.

"Do you want to drive?" Yasuhara asked.

"Yeah," Gene replied, heading for the driver's side door. "Can you phone the police? Just the local station, explain what has happened. I think it is better to have it on record, just in case."

Yasuhara nodded, climbed into the car, and as Gene set off, made the call.

As they arrived at the hotel, he finished the call.

"All done?" Gene asked.

"Yeah, they said they can't do much because the photographic evidence looks like he went willingly, though they admit it is suspicious. They were more interested in Mai because she's been gone longer."

Gene nodded.

"Are we getting out?"

"Not yet. I… I've been thinking about that email you got."

"About the contract?"

"What if… Hear me out, what if someone kidnapped him with the aim of making him give them a kid," Gene suggested. "And they kidnapped Mai to control him?"

"They kidnapped him to be a sperm donor? But why?"

"I don't know? We've had a few extreme fans before, I would not be surprised if some of them have thought about it."

"Exactly how many people have shouted 'have my babies' at you?"

Gene laughed bitterly.

"More than I can count," he said. "I… I want to find out more about these people who asked you to review the contract. It's possible Noll tried to use the 'I want a contract and my lawyer to look over it' as a way of reaching out."

"It's possible. It won't take me long to reply."

"Can you do it as soon as we get in?" Gene asked.

"Of course," Yasuhara said. "But it's getting late. I will have to leave soon."

"No, stay. Please. There's more than enough room. Jeffery is out somewhere. I… I would rather you stayed."

"Then I'll stay," Yasuhara said with a small smile. "Come on, the sooner we get up there, the sooner I can draft this letter."

* * *

Mai fell asleep despite the fact that the light remained on. Oliver watched her for a while, still concerned for her leg.

He drifted off, still sat at the end of the bed, his head resting against the wall.

They were woken by the sound of the door opening.

Mai shrieked and scrambled back against the wall, alarmed by the sudden noise.

"Just me," Frank said. "I've got breakfast for you both."

He put a tray down on the floor and shuffled back out, locking the door behind him.

"Is it more sandwiches?" Mai asked, clutching her chest.

"Yes, is that a problem?" Oliver asked as he got up to collect them.

"All they've given me has been cucumber sandwiches. I'm glad I did not like them much before, because I am never eating a cucumber sandwich again, if we get out of this place."

"I suppose my trainer will forgive me for not following my prescribed diet given the circumstances," Oliver muttered. He collected the tray and brought it back to the bed.

"I mean if you don't want them, I'll happily eat them all," Mai replied. "I would hate to ruin your diet…"

She grabbed a sandwich and ate it. Oliver copied her motions.

"What if we just smashed this tray on the head of whoever comes through that door first?" Mai asked.

Oliver finished his sandwich before answering.

"Okay, so let's pretend. I've just walked through that door, and you've smashed me over the head with a plastic tray, now what?"

"I shove you over and escape?"

"And what about the other one? Even if you get one of them down, there will be the other upstairs."

"Hit them with the tray too?" Mai suggested. "I wish I had longer hair, if I'd had hairpins we might have been able to pick the lock."

"I don't think normal people wear hairpins…"

"What else can we pick a lock with?"

Oliver looked around the near-empty room.

"You know, I think the bucket of piss might be a better weapon than the tray…"

"Eww, that's gross," Mai squirmed at the idea, "you've never had to clear up piss, have you? Plus, if we don't manage to escape, it will be all over the floor. And we have no way of washing."

"I have not had to clear up piss within memory," Oliver said. "But I think we need to do something."

* * *

"They want to call me," Yasuhara said. "Gene? Gene! The contract people, they want to have a phone call with me."

Gene hurried from his bedroom.

"What? What on earth did you say to get that reaction?"

"I don't know," Yasuhara said. "I mean I wanted them to contact me again, but listen to this." He cleared his throat and began to read from the email in front of him. "Dear Mr Yasuhara, After much discussion, we think it best to have a telephone call with you and our donor. That way we can get everything cleared up so we may proceed. If you're available at 11 AM, then that would be a good time for us to call. Yours sincerely, Mr and Mrs Mitchell."

"With their donor?" Gene asked. "Well if I'm right, that means it's Noll."

"We need a way of tracing the call."

"Perhaps our new journalist friend can help us with that."

"I'll go and get her," Yasuhara said. "I'll reply and say that 11 is fine."

Half an hour later, Madoka had set up her laptop and plugged into Yasuhara's phone.

"And now we wait?" Gene asked.

"And now we wait," Madoka said. "Assuming they've just put 141 in front of the number, this software should get through it. It can get through other stuff too, nothing serious, but a lot of people don't employ proper security on this stuff…"

"I hate waiting," Gene muttered.

He sat, leg bouncing. Yasuhara placed a hand on his shoulder. Gene stopped bouncing his leg.

"It'll be okay. When they call, everyone else has got to stay silent. I'll talk. If we get a location, then we'll go, both cars and I'll call the police again. Okay?"

"Okay," Gene said.

Madoka and Lin nodded.

"Okay," Yasuhara repeated.

* * *

**Author's note: Not edited. Please note, it's the GHHQ Fanworks Weekend this weekend, so finish up any last-minute prompts and submit them ASAP!**


	14. Chapter 14

Oliver and Mai looked up as the door opened. Both of them unprepared

"Mr Griffiths, might we borrow you for a moment?" Frank asked.

"What for? Have you got in contact with my lawyer?" Oliver asked, standing up.

"Yes, we have. We've arranged a phone call to sort out the contract."

"Ah, wonderful. Might we get a fresh bucket and some food down here?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, I'll get that while you're on the call," Frank said. "Come on."

Oliver looked back at Mai and gave her a significant look. She nodded.

He left the room, Frank followed him.

Mai stood up and tried to put weight on her injured leg. It hurt, a lot, but she could just about hobble.

She picked up the tray and hopped over to the door. She positioned herself behind the door and waited.

* * *

Oliver walked up the stairs from the basement and took a seat at the dining table as offered by Margaret. He'd been placed in the corner of the room. He could see out of the front window. There was a long front garden and the occasional car passing on the road.

Frank had stopped halfway through their journey here and blindfolded him, so he had little reference for where they were.

"I trust you slept well," Margaret said as she placed a phone on the table.

"Fine, thank you," Oliver lied.

He tried not to stare at the phone. The temptation to grab it and run was high. But he could not see the air rifle.

"Frank, what are you doing?"

"I need to empty the bucket, dear."

"That can wait."

"We have time before the call, don't we?" Oliver said. "I really don't want to return down there and find she's pissed everywhere because the bucket is full."

Margaret smiled.

"Do it quickly, Frank."

Frank hurried off.

"And besides, we can make the call without him," Oliver said. "The contract is between me and you, really."

"Yes, you're quite right. Let's call now."

"Do you have a paper copy? I would like to read it. My lawyer has always advised me to read contracts."

"Here."

Margaret handed Oliver a stapled pile of paper and then began dialling a number she had written on a post-it note.

"I have an issue with the fifth item," Oliver stated. "I have no desire for you to email me with pictures of this child. Also, this contract details a fertility clinic, we have not attended such a place."

Before Margaret could respond, the phone was answered, she had placed it on video call. Oliver almost sighed with relief when he heard Yasuhara's voice answer.

"Hello, Yasuhara speaking."

Margaret pressed down on a button on the phone to mute the speaker.

"If you say anything unexpected, I will shoot the girl." She unmuted it and replied to Yasuhara, "Hello, this is Mrs Mitchell speaking. How are you?"

"I am very well, thank you. Who else is on the call?"

"I'm here with our donor, my husband will be along shortly."

"And what is your donor's name?" Yasuhara's voice asked.

Margaret looked to Oliver and narrowed her eyes at him before nodding.

"You can call me Oliver."

"Good to speak to you, Oliver," Yasuhara said. "So you mentioned in your message that there were some issues with the contract."

Before Margaret could respond, a sudden scream from below reverberated around the room.

"What on earth—"

"What was that?"

Margaret slammed the 'end call' button on the phone and stood up. From the doorway to the basement, Mai burst out wielding a tray.

"You bitch!"

Suddenly the air rifle was in Margaret's hands and pointing at Mai. Oliver reacted instinctively, grabbing the barrel and pushing it away as she fired.

"Mai, run!" Oliver yelled, pointing in the direction

She did not need telling twice. Mai hobbled as fast as she could towards the front door.

Oliver wrenched the gun from Margaret and pointed it at her. She backed away into the corner with her hands raised up.

"Please don't hurt me!"

"Get downstairs," Oliver ordered, nodding his head towards the door to the basement.

Margaret whimpered and ran to the door.

"Get downstairs," Oliver repeated. He fired the air gun at the floor.

Margaret screamed and ran down the stairs. Oliver shut the door behind her and grabbed the nearest chair to prop under the door handle. He looked down at the gun for a moment, then did his best to disarm it. He pulled various parts of it until the magazine popped out.

He dropped the two pieces and headed towards the door.

On a table next to the door was the house phone. Oliver paused, then picked up the receiver and dialled 999. He listened to the operator.

"I need the police at…" He looked around and found a piece of post. "At Raven's cottage…" He reeled off the rest of the address. "And maybe an ambulance, there was an air rifle involved."

The operator attempted to keep Oliver on the line, but he ignored them.

"I have to find Mai, she is hurt."

He hung up and walked out of the door.

Mai was not hard to find. She stood at the end of the garden path, looking either way down the road. She jumped as Oliver entered her vision.

"There's no path and nowhere to go and—"

"They're locked in the basement and the police are on the way."

"But—"

"We just have to wait. How is your leg?"

"It's fine, I…"

"What did you do to the man?"

"Oh… I threw the piss on him and then hit him with the bucket… Your hand!"

Oliver looked down at the hand he had used to grab the air rifle; red, angry skin looked back at him.

"The air rifle," he concluded. "It'll be fine."

Neither one looked at the other. They just waited in silence.

* * *

The police arrived first. Several officers went through the house, others questioned Mai and Oliver. They were taken to the station for further questioning. Paramedics saw to their injuries.

Mai was taken to the local hospital for an x-ray and stitches.

"You're going to be fine physically," a doctor said afterwards. "But I want to talk about your mental health. You've been through a traumatic event and we want to ensure you're properly supported while you deal with it."

Mai frowned a little. Her mental health? She just hadn't thought about it… She was more worried about where she was going to live. The thought of going back to her apartment…

"Miss Taniyama?"

"Hmm?"

"We can have you in to see someone next week."

"Next week?" Her frown deepened. "I thought there were waiting lists for counselling and stuff."

"That's been taken care of for you."

"He has paid for it, hasn't he?"

"I can't say," the doctor said with a strained smile.

"I don't want his charity. Put me on the normal waiting lists."

"Miss Taniyama, I can do that if you really want, but those waiting lists are months long. If you are lucky you will see someone just for an assessment within six months. But it is likely longer. I understand there is some resentment between you and the donor, but he's already given the money. I would accept it. Six months may not sound bad right now, but it will be. I don't want you to suffer when you don't need to."

Mai did not look convinced.

"By taking the private counselling, you're also relieving the burden on the NHS."

"Fine."

"Do you have someone that can pick you up?"

"Can I use a phone?"

The doctor provided Mai with a phone to use, and she called the only number she knew off by heart: Yasuhara.

* * *

"You can stay as long as you need," Yasuhara insisted. "But my landlord won't allow cats."

"It's just until I can find another place," Mai insisted.

They had visited her apartment, that had been inspected by the police already, and collected an overnight bag. Mai had also given Elijah some more money, asking him to continue to care for Luna.

"Do you want a shower? I've got spare towels."

Until he suggested it, Mai had not realised how much she did want a shower. The thought of being clean and fresh sounded delightful. Yasuhara found her some towels, explained the various dials on his fancy shower and left her to it.

Half an hour later, Mai joined Yasuhara in the living room in fresh pyjamas.

"You okay?"

"I…" she faltered. "I don't know."

"Are you… Are you going to see him again?"

"No, I don't think so. I think it's all been too much and… I just don't think so."

Yasuhara nodded.

"His PR people are going to want you to sign a confidentiality agreement."

"I'm not going to tell anyone, I don't want that kind of attention."

"Then make some demands and sign the agreement."

"I don't want anything from—"

"They will be suspicious if you don't ask for something," Yasuhara cut in. "As your lawyer and as your friend, I advise you ask for something. As this incident has taken away your home, I suggest you ask for a new one."

"What? Ask him to buy me a house?"

"Yes."

"You're serious?" Mai asked.

"Yes, he would do it in an instant and the money would mean nothing to him. But it would take a lot off your plate. Think about it. I can make the arrangements."

Mai looked for a change of subject.

"What about them? What will happen to the people that…"

"That kidnapped you? Well, they're facing charges for breaking and entering, GBH, kidnapping and blackmail. They'll face trial. You'll probably have to go, but I can do my best to stop that if you need me to. They should face many years in gaol."

"I… I feel sorry for them. I don't think they were right in the head. I think they need professional help."

"You're probably right," Yasuhara agreed. "But they still hurt you, and they still need to pay for that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm scared to go to sleep."

"I don't blame you. Do you want me to stay with you?"

Mai nodded slowly.

"Okay, we'll do that then."

"Thank you, you're a good friend."

* * *

**Author's note: So has the quality of this fic taken a nosedive? YES. Has my mental health also taken a nosedive? ALSO YES.**

**I ended up sending some messages that, while well-intended on my end, definitely were not well-intended. Obviously, we've all had the pandemic to deal with. I also have changed my antidepressants 3? 4? times in that time, which had made everything harder to deal with.**

**I apologise for the messages I sent.**

**I plan to finish this fic ASAP, and then maybe stop writing for the fandom. I'm not sure I'm getting what I want from the experience (for want of a better word) of the fandom. Maybe I'll change my mind, but at the moment, I'm not enthused about it.**

**I hope you're all faring better than I am.**


	15. Chapter 15

"So Mai, I've been seeing you now for six months, I wanted to spend today's session reviewing how far we've come."

"Okay."

"Now when you first came to me, I think you were scared to sleep alone and had severe trust issues, do you think that's a fair assessment?" her counsellor asked.

Mai nodded.

"And how would you think about those things now?"

Mai bit her lip before responding.

"I've been sleeping along for a few months now. I think I'm okay with that."

"Moving apartments helped, yes?"

"Yeah," Mai agreed. "And Luna. Luna helped a lot too."

"And how about trusting people?"

"Well…" Mai bit her lip again. "It's new people that have been the problem. And I recognise that just because one or two people are bad, doesn't mean I can paint everyone with the same brush."

"Now I know that you know these things in theory, but can you give me examples of how this has worked in practice?"

The counsellor looked up from her clipboard and waited.

"I met Sophie at a writing club, and I've allowed myself to trust her with small things."

"Anything else?"

"I let some workmen come and fix my boiler without hovering over them and checking everything they did."

"That's really good Mai, I'm proud of you."

Mai smiled.

"I want to ask you what you think the next steps are for you? I am happy to continue seeing you for as long as you think you need me. But at this point, I think you need to start driving some of the changes."

Mai nodded slowly, absorbing this information.

"Can I think about it?"

"Of course."

* * *

Mai's shoulders sagged as she left the counsellor's office. She walked down the street to a cafe, ordered herself a drink and wedged herself into a chair by the window.

She stared out at the street, watching strangers go past and letting herself recover from the emotionally exhausting session.

"Mai? Is that you?"

She looked up.

"Elijah! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I had a free period, I come here to work sometimes."

"Take a seat."

Elijah sat.

"It's good to see you, Mai. I have to thank you for what you did for my Mum."

"What?"

Elijah frowned a little, but went on regardless.

"Your friend, Oliver? He said you'd talked up her skills. He needed a new accountant. Turned out his old boss had been swindling some of the books or something. Hired her on the spot and said she can pick her hours. As long as she gets the work done, he doesn't mind."

"That's fantastic news," Mai said. "I didn't realise he'd done that."

"He didn't tell you?"

"We haven't spoken in a while, I've been busy."

"Yeah, heard you got a new place after the break-in. Honestly, we moved once money wasn't so tight. Oliver helped with moving costs too, he's the best boss Mum's had in ages. You won't believe what he did during the school holidays.

"What?"

"He was all 'I've got this business meeting in Jamaica and I need you there to check the money over', right? He flew us both out first class, Mum had to work one day and then we had two weeks in Jamaica! It was mad. Mum got to see her cousins for the first time in like, a decade."

"That was nice of him."

"We owe it all to you, seriously. I thought all rich peoples were arseholes but—"

"Your mother would have something to say about you speaking like that."

"Yeah, but she's not here."

"And 99% of rich people are arseholes. Don't let this one fool you about the rest. And I'm not convinced on this one..."

Elijah frowned.

"You've fallen out?" he asked.

"Something like that," Mai said. "But it's been a while."

"Maybe you should talk to him," Elijah suggested. "Worst case, if he's still being an arse to you then you know."

"He wasn't deliberately being an arse to me… He just… He lied to protect himself and I felt embarrassed by the truth." Mai sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should talk to him."

"I should probably beading off," Elijah said. "Say hi to Luna for me. It was nice catching up."

"Yeah, you too."

Mai watched Elijah leave and finished her drink.

She had blocked all thoughts of Oliver from her mind for a while now. Since the trial for her kidnapping had finished, really. Sure they had kissed. Sure she thought they might have been sort of dating for a while...

But he was also the reason she got kidnapped.

It wasn't _his_ fault per se. But still. It made it difficult to want to… To be close to him.

Mai left the cafe and began her walk home.

He had _fans_. And that would not change. She could not ask him to give up his work just to be in a relationship with her.

The thought startled her. Did she _want_ to be in a relationship with him?

Those moments before… They had had fun. But they had only known each other a few months. It wasn't a lot to base any decisions on.

Perhaps Elijah was right. Perhaps she should speak to him. If only to get closure.

Once back at her flat, Mai dug out her old phone — she had gotten a new one with a new number for safety reasons — and looked for Oliver's number.

She plugged it into her new phone and hit the dial button.

"_This number has been disconnected."_

Mai swore. She phoned Yasuhara instead.

"Sup, Mai?" he answered.

"Are you still in contact with Oliver?"

There was a pause before he answered.

"Why?"

"I was hoping to get in contact with him. My counsellor was talking about making the next steps with trusting people and stuff and… Well, I was thinking maybe we should chat."

"I don't know if he'll want to speak to you," Yasuhara replied. "But I can pass on the message."

"Yeah, um, give him my number if he wants it."

"Will do."

Yasuhara hung up.

_I don't know if he'll want to speak to you._

That hurt. A physical aching punch to the chest.

Mai forced herself to take a deep breath. She had tried. That was good. She had tried.

* * *

She never received a call.

The first few days it kind of hurt. She got over it. She had stuff to do. Like work. And write her book. And definitely not cry over the fact that the boy she had once liked didn't return her call.

Nearly two weeks later, she got home from work to find Luna waiting for her by the front door. Her tail swished back and forth through the air.

"What do you want?" Mai asked, leaning down to pick up the post. "Hmm? Are you hungry?"

Luna meowed.

Mai dumped her bags and the post, fed Luna and then collapsed on her sofa. She scrolled through her phone for a bit before remembering she had post. She grabbed it, discarded the leaflets for various local business and examined the only real letter.

The thick paper was adorned with a handwritten address. She recognised the writing as Yasuhara's. Confused, she opened it. There was another envelope inside with her name on.

She opened that too.

_Dear Mai,_

_Yasuhara gave me your phone number but I am not at my best while conversing on the telephone. So I have asked him to give you this letter._

_I did not expect you to ever want to contact me again. Not after what happened. I would not have blamed you._

_I have been busy. Our father is no longer our manager and so I have been busy with work, he made a lot of business relationships tricky in his final month so I have had to deal with that. I think without that and the trial and filming I might have…_

_It is the premiere for Disgrace and Deception on Wednesday. It is the only day I will be in the UK for a while due to work. I regret that I will be busy for most of the evening._

_However, I have included two tickets so that you and a plus-one can attend the premiere and the afterparty. Perhaps, if you want, we could talk there._

_I realise it is not the most private of events, and the closest we will get to alone is with either Lin or my brother there. The press is also likely to be present._

_But the offer is there._

_All the best,_

_Oliver._

Mai reread the letter twice. She checked the envelope. Sure enough, there were two tickets.

"Fuck. Luna, what do I do?"

* * *

**Author's note: Hey look at that, another unedited chapter oops.**


	16. Chapter 16

"I can't believe you won tickets!" Sophie squealed as she dragged Mai around a dress shop. "I wish they'd given us more notice though."

"I told you, the original winners had to pull out, that's why."

"What do people even wear to premieres? I mean, the celebs wear fancy stuff, what do normal people wear?"

"I googled it last night," Mai admitted, "and it said that unless there was a specific dress code, to wear what you want. But most people wore nicer stuff. I was hoping to find a little black dress. Because then I can definitely use it again and it won't look out of place."

"That's a good idea," Sophie agreed. "But we should definitely dress it up with some colour."

Mai hummed in response and continued looking at dresses.

"Do you think they'll let us meet the cast?"

"Maybe, but there will be lots of people there. So don't get your hopes up."

Dress shopping took all morning and so they finished up with lunch from a cafe. Mai had chosen Sophie, her new writing friend, to be her plus one as the through of picking between Keiko and Michiru was too painful. And she suspected Yasuhara might already be going.

"So I'll see you tomorrow evening then?"

* * *

"So I don't think we walk the red carpet," Mai mumbled. "It says here we go to the side entrance."

"Over there," Sophie said, pointing at a queue of more normal-looking people.

They weren't far from the red carpet and the masses of paparazzi.

"I am glad we're not doing that," Sophie admitted. "I think I'd fall over just from the pressure of everyone watching me walk."

"Tell me about it."

They joined the queue, entered the theatre and were shown to their seats.

"So the popcorn and drinks are complimentary," Mai explained. "We've got quite good seats here, huh…"

"On the aisle, in the middle? Yeah, pretty damn perfect seats. I'm going to get popcorn, do you want some?"

"Sure."

Half an hour and most of a bucket of popcorn later, some members of the cast — Oliver, Gene and Masako Hara — walked onto the stage. The crowd clapped.

Mai held her breath as Gene produced a microphone. He smiled at the crowd, lifted the mic to his mouth and silence fell.

"Good evening everyone, I hope you're all sitting comfortably. As some of you are no doubt aware, this was our first jaunt into acting, and I have to thank Miss Hara for being such an amazing co-star. She taught us the ropes and made us feel at home on set from day one. Now, this is not the Oscar's — they'd never have this many ethnic minorities on stage at once — so I will not bore you all with lists of thanks."

There was a cautious laugh from the audience.

"I want you all to know that the crew behind this film deserves all the best in the world, and they also deserve far bigger paychecks than they received. I know some of you are here tonight with your families, and you're all amazingly talented."

Another round of applause.

"The author of Disgrace and Deception also wants me to pass on a message before the film starts. And that is that they desperately tried to persuade the director to allow this film to be word perfect to the book, but they lost that battle."

Another laugh.

"I have told them that we will be willing to do their next book as a series if need be."

Yet another laugh.

"Okay, enough of all that. Time for us to get off the stage. We hope you all enjoy this adaptation of Disgrace and Deception."

With a sweeping bow, they left the stage. Mai kept her eyes on the screen, scared that if she looked at Oliver too long that he would make eye contact. She was not ready for that just yet.

The lights dimmed, the crowd quietened and the screen lit up.

Mai held her breath as the soundtrack began.

* * *

As the credits rolled, Mai and Sophie, like much of the audience, got to their feet and clapped. Mai had tears streaming down her face.

"It was perfect," she cried.

"I know!" Sophie wailed.

"I felt it! I could feel their emotions in my chest and…"

Mai sank back down into her chair. She had forgotten her troubles. She had forgotten Oliver.

He did not exist on the screen. He _was_ his character.

"Excuse me, Madam."

Mai was shocked from her thoughts as a member of staff appeared in the aisle.

"Yes?"

"You are Miss Taniyama, are you not?"

"Yes? Is everything alright?"

"Quite, perhaps you and your guest would like to follow me to the VIP suite."

"Mai? What's going on?"

"Sophie, grab your stuff."

"Mai?"

"Come on!"

Mai picked up her jacket, bag and Sophie's hand. She dragged her friend from the seats and together, they followed the member of staff.

"Mai, where are we going?"

"The VIP suite."

Sophie stifled a scream of excitement.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am."

"But who's there?"

"I don't know," Mai lied. She had a pretty good idea of who would be there. "Perhaps some of the cast?"

They were shown up some stairs to a balcony that overlooked the stage and screen.

"In here, Madams."

Mai and Sophie entered.

"Ah, Mai!" Gene exclaimed.

"They know your name!" Sophie squealed, grabbing onto Mai's arm.

"I won the competition, Soph, that's likely how they know," Mai said loudly and pointedly.

Gene caught on.

"Of course, the organisers like us to know so it seems more personal. But I did not get the name of your guest?"

"This is Sophie," Mai said.

"Oh my! I just!"

"Masako," Gene called, "why don't you come over here and meet our guests?"

Mai swallowed. Masako Hara — _Masako Hara! _— was walking towards her.

"I have loved everything you have ever been in!" Mai blurted. "Honestly, your performance in this! You had me in tears! It was beautiful!"

"She was blubbering like a baby," Sophie agreed. "Honestly, they could not have cast better."

Masako Hara smiled behind the sleeve of her dress.

"Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the film. Can I interest you, Sophie, in a drink?"

Sophie almost choked but nodded.

Masako Hara offered Sophie her arm and led her away from Mai, who looked back to Gene.

"I guess I have to face him now, huh?"

"What are you worried about?"

"Last time I saw him, we'd just escaped being kidnapped," Mai pointed out. "Sophie doesn't know anything."

"I guessed. A competition was a good cover though."

"Thanks, I thought of it all by myself."

"I can offer you a drink if it would help?"

"I think I should stay sober, just in case. Sophie is a lightweight and…"

Gene took Mai's arm and led her over to where Oliver was conversing with Lin. The two men looked up.

"Hi."

"Lin, would you like to get some food with me?" Gene asked.

Mai closed her eyes and grimaced.

"Sure," Lin said, then turned to Oliver, "do try not to get kidnapped this time."

Oliver rolled his eyes. Lin left with Gene.

Mai sat down in the seat that Lin had just vacated.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"You brought a friend," Oliver commented."

"Yeah, Sophie, she's from this writing group I joined."

"Hmm…"

Mai had not brought herself to look at him. She kept her eyes focused on a half-finished bucket of popcorn that sat on the table.

"Mai… I am sorry for not telling you the whole truth about my work. Though I never intended for it to hurt you in the way that it did, it did hurt you. If I had been more honest, that might have been avoided. Or at least you could have made a more informed choice…"

Mai bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

"I did not expect you to come, though I figured a chance at the premiere would be a pretty big bribe…"

"Yeah," Mai agreed, choking with emotion. "Couldn't miss out on that."

"What did you think?"

"It was perfect, really, it was… It kept the same emotion the book made me feel."

"I'm glad I did not ruin it for you."

Mai half laughed.

"I forgot it was you. I could not see you, only your character."

"I think that is a compliment."

"Yeah…"

Mai turned and looked out over the theatre. The audience were slowly leaving.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"What?"

"We could just leave. You and me. Go to a drive-thru and talk about economics…"

"But—"

"Lin is somewhere with Gene. Your friend looks pretty enamoured with Masako. And I haven't caused anything like a scandal since we fired my father."

They locked eyes for a moment. Mai broke the gaze. She looked around the room. Everyone else _was_ busy...

"Okay."

"What?"

"Let's go."

* * *

**Author's note: Again, this was not edited. One of the reviews I received last chapter suggested that maybe Oliver and Mai should _not_ get together and you know what, I'm contemplating it... What do you all think?**


	17. Chapter 17

"So Mai, what happened at the premiere?" the counsellor asked.

Mai bit her lip.

"Well, I went," she began. "And the film was brilliant, truly brilliant. I took Sophie, you know, my writing friend."

"And did she enjoy it?"

"I think so."

"And did you speak to your friend afterwards?"

"Sophie?"

"No, Oliver."

"I… Yes. Yes, I did. He invited us up to the VIP booth. I had told Sophie that I had won a competition. She doesn't know the truth."

"And what happened then?"

"Well, we chatted for a bit. I think Oliver's friends knew what was going on a bit, because one of them—" _MASAKO HARA! _"— took Sophie to one side to talk. And then Oliver asked if I wanted to go somewhere else and talk…"

"And did you?"

"Yes. I don't know how we did it. We managed to sneak past security and the paps and everyone. London is full of little parks, right? So we found one of those. I snuck off and got us milkshakes. He didn't want to be recognised, of course. And then we sat in this park and drank our milkshakes and talked."

"And what did you talk about?"

"He told me about getting rid of his father. Yasuhara did a load of the legal work for it. There was a big fight, but his dad wasn't going to physically fight them. Lin was there. But apparently he did hit them as children. I don't think I am surprised by that, he is an arse…"

"What else?"

"Well, he told me some of the bits about the kidnapping case that I did not know about. I didn't go to court unless I was actually asked to, right? But he went every day. How they kept that out of the press I don't know. They didn't keep the whole sacking their father thing out though. But they only spoke to one journalist… Maybe they made a deal or something."

"That's quite likely. Give the journalist a story to stop another story breaking."

"Yeah, that's what I figured. I… We also talked about other stuff. Just like dumb stuff. Like stuff normal friends talk about. He told me about his master's exam. I told him about my writing club. It was… It was just really nice."

"And how do you feel about him?"

"I… It was so easy to talk to him again."

"Are you still angry at him?"

"I don't think so. I don't think I trust him entirely again yet. But I'm not angry at him."

"And will you see him again?"

"Well he's away with work for like a month now," Mai said. "The only reason our conversation stopped is that he had a flight to catch. Lin came and picked him up," she began to laugh, "Lin was furious. They'd been looking for him for hours."

The counsellor smiled and waited for Mai to go on.

"But he said he was going to take some time off after that, and that if I'd like to meet up, we could."

"And would you like to?"

"I think so," Mai said with some reserve. "I'm a little worried about stuff. Like, the press can be brutal. Like seriously brutal. But he's also… I do want to see him again." Mai laughed again. "He offered to pay for a bodyguard for me if things get… Well if I needed one. I laughed it off but I don't think he was joking."

"It sounds like he does care for you a lot."

"I think he does," Mai admitted. "His brother sent me a message the day after, like once they landed. He said that it was the happiest he'd seen Oliver in a long time. His brother is nice, you know? I think there is also something going on between him and Yasuhara."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, they spend way too much time together for it to be entirely professional."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I'm happy for them. In a way, seeing that Yasuhara can cope with the whole fame thing helps. Like, if he can do it, why can't I?"

"So you're going to meet up with Oliver when he returns, what then?"

Mai thought about this for a moment.

"We sort of discussed this a bit. We agreed that maybe we should just be friends for a while. I mean I say that, I don't think I'm going to be looking for anyone else to date or anything. But…" She bit her lip. "We're not going to put any pressure on anything being romantic or anything."

The counsellor nodded.

"It's not like either of us needs to rush."

"I think that sounds very sensible."

Mai smiled.

"I was worried before all this about going. Like, what if he had been different? But he was the same person. And I still lo— I still care about him a lot. I'm glad I went."

"I'm glad you took the chance. What would you have done if it had not gone so well?"

"Cried, a lot, probably. But I guess at least then I would have known. It still would have sucked. But I think not knowing would have been much worse."

The counsellor nodded and checked their watch.

"How are you keeping in contact with him?"

"I mean I have his number. He's got this fancy phone contract so he can use data and stuff wherever he is in the world. I mean it makes sense, right? So he video calls me every now and then." She smiled to herself. "The rest of the time, we just message each other."

"Sounds like you've got stuff pretty sorted then."

Mai nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I think so…"

"Well, I think that's a good place to end today. I'll see you again next week."

Mai left the office with her head held high. She had hope for the future and—

**Oliver: How was your session?**

She smiled.

**Mai: It was great. How was your photoshoot?**

The reply Oliver sent was of a photo of him and his brother, dressed up in some high fashion get up.

**Mai: You look like someone just sicked up plaid onto you…**

**Oliver: It's **_**fashion**_ **Mai.**

**Oliver: Gene said he agrees with you.**

Mai laughed.

Yeah, she definitely had hope for the future.

* * *

**Author's note: AND THAT IS THE END. With no edits again because I am _lazy_. Also if you want to join a discord server for GH peeps: **** discord . gg / JryRXS4 . It's not mine, but we're having a competition there to see who can get the most people in. And I'm not competing but I want to win so...**

**Hopefully, that will format properly and you guys can write it out. if you already have discord you just need the JryRXS4 bit...**

**Hope you all enjoyed this, please review!**


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